Daniel Snyder Daniel M . Snyder ( born November 23 , 1965 in Silver Spring , Maryland ) is the current owner of the Washington Redskins American football team , owner of the Dick Clark Productions television production company , and primary investor in Red Zebra Broadcasting , which is home to the Redskins Radio Network . Snyder has a net worth of $ 1 . 1 billion . The Redskins have experienced just three winning seasons during the tenure of his presidency , while undergoing numerous coaching and quarterback changes that have been controversial . Early life . Snyder was raised in a Jewish family in Maryland . His father , Gerry Snyder , was a free - lance writer who wrote for United Press International and National Geographic . His first job was at B . Dalton bookstore at the age of 14 . At 17 , Snyder experienced his first business failure when he partnered with his father to sell bus - trip packages to Washington Capitals fans to see their hockey team play in Philadelphia . He was disappointed when he found his fliers littering the streets after a tough loss . By age 20 , he had dropped out of the University of Maryland , College Park and was running his own business , leasing jets to fly college students to spring break in Fort Lauderdale and the Caribbean . Snyder claims to have cleared US $ 1 million running the business out of his parents ' bedroom with a friend and several telephone lines . Snyder courted real estate entrepreneur Mortimer Zuckerman , whose " US News & World Report " was also interested in the college market , and who agreed to finance his push to publish " Campus USA " , a magazine for college students . Zuckerman and Fred Drasner , co - publisher of Zuckerman ' s " New York Daily News " , invested nearly $ 3 million behind " Campus USA " . That venture could not generate enough paid advertising and was forced to close after three years . Despite the collapse of " CampusUSA " , Snyder began to pursue WallBoards , an advertising venture designed to reach " targeted populations " with the backing of Drasner and Zuckerman . Business . In 1988 , Snyder and his sister Michelle founded a marketing company , Snyder Communications LP , a limited partnership of " US News & World Reports " . Their activities were mainly outsourced marketing services , such as direct marketing , database marketing , proprietary product sampling , sponsored information display in prime locations , call centers , and field sales . Snyder ' s WallBoards were initially the sole source of revenue for this venture with displays being posted in hospital maternity areas , private daycare centres , and Fixed Based Operations ( FBO ) , or private aircraft lounges in major airports throughout the country . Proprietary product sampling was introduced in 1992 through their network of private daycare centers . In an initial public offering for SNC in September 1996 , Daniel Snyder became the youngest ever CEO of a New York Stock Exchange listed company at the age of 32 . He expanded the company aggressively through a string of acquisitions , and in April 2000 , Snyder Communications was sold to the French advertising and marketing services group Havas in an all - stock transaction valued at in excess of US $ 2 billion , the largest transaction in the history of the advertising / market industry . Snyder ’ s personal share of the proceeds was estimated to be US $ 300 million . Snyder owns a corporate jet , a Bombardier BD - 700 Global Express XRS with tail number N904DS and it is hangared at Dulles International Airport . The tail sports a Redskin helmet . The Redskins have offices and a practice field in nearby Ashburn , Virginia . Washington Redskins football team ownership . In May 1999 , Snyder purchased the Redskins and Jack Kent Cooke Stadium ( now FedExField ) for $ 800 million following the death of previous owner Jack Kent Cooke . At the time , it was the most expensive transaction in sporting history . The deal was financed largely through borrowed money , including $ 340 million borrowed from Société Générale and $ 155 million debt assumed on the stadium . Annual loan servicing costs are an estimated $ 50 million . Snyder owned expansion rights to an Arena Football League team for the Washington , D . C . market before the 2009 demise of the original league . Facility expansion . While Snyder has been owner , the Redskins ' annual revenue increased from more than $ 100 million a year when Snyder took over the team in 1999 to around $ 245 million . As of 2007 , the Redskins are the highest grossing team in the National Football League ahead of the Dallas Cowboys , who are , incidentally , the team ' s biggest on - field rivals . This is in part due to sponsorship arrangements with Anheuser - Busch , Coca - Cola , and Sprint , but mainly due to a $ 207 million deal with FedEx to gain naming rights to the Redskins ' stadium , now named FedExField . Snyder paid attention to revenue generation by adding more suites and club seats , enlarging capacity to a , at the time , league high 91 , 000 , and he sold the club seats that had gone empty under the Cooke family reign . Traffic and parking around the stadium have been improved but need work . Public backlash against Snyder . Since Snyder bought the Redskins , the team has had a losing record ( 91 - 117 through the end of the 2011 season ) . They have also gone through seven head coaches in 13 seasons . In October 2009 , several articles in Washington area newspapers criticized Snyder , alleging that his managerial style was partly to blame for the Redskins ' on - field struggles . A 24 November 2009 article in the " Wall Street Journal " also questioned whether Snyder ' s leadership style had alienated the Redskins fan - base , questioning " Are the Redskins Losing Washington ? " The article quotes from a Harris Interactive poll showing that whereas the Redskins in 2003 were the 6th most popular NFL team nationally , by 2009 they had fallen to No . 17 . After a 3 - 7 start to the 2009 Washington Redskins season , criticism of Snyder and his general manager , Vinny Cerrato , escalated , while sportswriters referred to the pair as " Dumb and Dumber " . Fans and football analysts have criticized the revolving - door of Redskins head coaches employed since Snyder bought the team , as well as Snyder and Cerrato ' s pattern of hiring expensive free agents and trading away draft picks for older players instead of recruiting young talent through the NFL draft . Vinny Cerrato resigned on 17 December 2009 . Under Snyder , the Redskins have also sued season ticket holders who were unable to pay during the 2008 - 2009 U . S . recession . Snyder did this despite his claim that there are over 200 , 000 people on the season ticket waiting list . Part way through the 2009 season , Snyder banned all signs from FedEx Field , leading to further fan discontentment . Redskins fans have also expressed discontentment about rising ticket and parking prices , and Snyder ' s policy of charging fans for tailgates in special areas of the stadium lot . Libel suit . Threatening a lawsuit in January 2011 , Snyder demanded dismissal of the Washington City Paper ' s sports writer Dave McKenna , who had meticulously compiled a lengthy article , " The Cranky Redskins Fan ' s Guide to Dan Snyder " , documenting the encyclopedia of errors made by Snyder . Other sportswriters have come out in support of McKenna . The lawsuit was filed on February 2 , 2011 . On April 26 , 2011 , Snyder ' s lawyers added the reporter who wrote the story , Dave McKenna , as a defendant . On September 10th , 2011 , Snyder dropped his libel lawsuit against both the Washington City Paper and Dave McKenna . Other ventures . In December 2004 , the Maryland - National Capital Park and Planning Commission fined Snyder $ 100 for cutting down more than 130 old - growth trees near his $ 10 million Maryland residence above the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park and the Potomac River without first obtaining permission from the Commission , although the National Park Service had signed off on the project . Lenn Harley , a real estate broker who was not involved in Snyder ' s purchase of the estate but was familiar with the area , estimated that the relatively unobstructed view of the river and its surroundings that resulted from Snyder ' s clearing could add $ 500 , 000 to $ 1 million to the home ' s value . In July 2006 , Snyder ' s Red Zebra Broadcasting launched a trio of sports radio stations in his home market of Washington , D . C . known as Triple X ESPN Radio but , due to Snyder ' s perceived heavy - handedness , referred to as ' Dan Jazeera ' . He purchased other radio stations in the mid - Atlantic region , and intends to broadcast coverage of Washington Redskins games on all of his stations . In July 2006 , Snyder and other investors signed a deal to provide financing to the production company run by Tom Cruise and his partner , Paula Wagner . This came one week after Paramount Pictures severed its ties with Cruise and Wagner . Snyder is credited as an executive producer for the 2008 movie " Valkyrie " , which stars Cruise . In February 2007 , it was announced that Snyder ' s Red Zone Capital Management would purchase Johnny Rockets , the 1950s - themed diner chain . On 19 June 2007 , Snyder purchased Dick Clark Productions for $ 175 million . In October 2007 , Snyder confirmed in London that he is " actively looking for the right opportunity " to enter into business in the Premier League , most likely through the outright purchase of a soccer club . Tottenham Hotspur F . C . of North London is reported to be the most likely team to be bought by Snyder , which is currently on the market for about $ 725 million ( £450 million ) . Snyder is the chairman of the board of Ventiv Health , and a board member of McLeodUSA .