Sonny Werblin David Abraham " Sonny " Werblin ( March 17 , 1910 - November 21 , 1991 ) was a prominent entertainment industry executive and sports impresario who was an owner of the New York Jets , Chairman of Madison Square Gardens , and who built and managed the Meadowlands Sports Complex . Weblin was born in Brooklyn , New York . A graduate of Rutgers University , he went to work for Music Corporation of America ( MCA ) in 1932 and was so successful that in 1951 he was made president of M . C . A . ' s television division . At M . C . A . ( Music Corporation Of America ) , Werblin made a considerable name at identifying and managing talent . His managed list of major stars were a who ' s who in not only music , but also movies and television . During the 1950s and 1960s , Werblin led a production team that developed television shows for all three major networks , an off - shoot of his ability to manage the stars that were featured in them . The list of top - rated television shows M . C . A . developed under Werblin , again , is lengthy . His power as a ' star - handler ' was such that eventually forces in the entertainment industry combined against him and M . C . A . , resulting in lawsuits in 1962 . The company ' s ability to manage stars would curtailed greatly under new industry rules after that point . Up to then , he had been known in management circles as " Mr . Show Biz " , his power in the industry having been so great . Werblin left M . C . A . and found a new business vehicle soon after . The American Football League , which he revolutionized . His impact on professional sports is still well - felt today . His M . C . A . connections at NBC ( National Broadcasting Corporation ) allowed him to singlehandedly negotiate the AFL ' s contract there , quickly elevating the league to near - parity with the rival senior NFL , and leading to the development of The Super Bowl as a television event . The concept of The Sport Star as known today was first largely developed by Werblin , whose first developed " star " was New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath , who became the then - greatest star athlete in America under Werblin ' s guidance in the mid and late 1960s . It was also Werblin who signed for his Jets , the team he named and colored , football talent scout and coach Wilbur ' Weeb ' Ewbank . Ewbank quickly developed the Jets into a contender just as he previously had the NFL Baltimore Colts in the 1950s . In 1938 , he married Leah Ray Hubbard ( 1915 – 1999 ) of Norfolk , Virginia . Performing as Leah Ray , she was a well known vocalist in the Big Band era . Ms . Ray sang with major orchestras such as those of Tommy Dorsey and Phil Harris , and acted in more than a dozen films . Among her film appearances , in 1936 she co - starred with Phil Harris in the Academy Award nominated short film titled , " Double or Nothing " . While performing with the Phil Harris orchestra she met Sonny Werblin . They married in 1938 and remained together for more than fifty years until his death in 1991 . Werblin died of a heart attack on November 21 , 1991 , at the age of 81 at Columbia - Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City . He had homes in Manhattan , Miami , Florida and Rumson , New Jersey . Sports business . In 1963 , Sonny Werblin and his partners purchased the American Football League ( AFL ) Titans of New York from original owner Harry Wismer . Werblin changed the team ' s name to the Jets , and drafted Matt Snell in the first round , signing him away from the crosstown NFL Giants . His biggest coup came in 1965 , when for $ 400 , 000 he signed University of Alabama quarterback Joe Namath , who had been drafted by the NFL St . Louis Cardinals . Werblin and the Oakland Raiders ' Al Davis resisted the indemnity the NFL demanded , which was $ 100 , 000 per year for twenty years . Other AFL owners agreed to the terms , along with stripping the name and logo from the AFL . Werblin was bought out by Jets management prior to the 1968 season , which concluded with the team winning Super Bowl III over the Baltimore Colts in one of the greatest upsets in sports history . Newark Star - Ledger sports columnists Jerry Izenberg and Sidney Zion would later speculate that , because the Jets fired Werblin , there was a " Curse of Sonny Werblin " on the team . By an unusual coincidence , Werblin and Izenberg were elected to the Sports Hall of Fame of New Jersey in the same year , 1997 . < / http : / / www . nydailynews . com / archives / opinions / 2005 / 02 / 03 / 2005 - 02 - 03 _ the _ curse _ of _ sonny _ werblin _ l . html > Sonny Werblin built the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford , New Jersey which he ran from 1971 to 1977 . When it was announced that the New York Giants would begin playing at the new Giants Stadium in 1976 , a reporter ask Werblin about the New York Giants playing in New Jersey , he explained the geography in the New York City Metro area by saying " If you pave the Hudson River it becomes 13th Avenue . " In 1978 Werblin took over as head of Madison Square Garden and its properties , including the New York Rangers and New York Knicks . In 1984 he gave up day - to - day control of Madison Square Garden but remained Chairman of its Board of Directors . Thoroughbred racing . Sonny and Leah Werblin raced Thoroughbred horses under the " nom de course " , Elberon Farm . Among their racing successes , their colt , Silent Screen , earned 1969 American Champion Two - Year - Old Colt honors and their filly , Process Shot was the 1968 American Co - Champion Two - Year - Old Filly . In addition , Sonny Werblin was a major shareholder and member of the Board of Directors of Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport , New Jersey . Of note here is that the first group of four co - owners / investors in The Gotham Football Club ( New York Jets ) were all horse racing associates . All were silent partners in the Jets , deferring to Werblin ' s legendary ability to handle , press , media and his developed stars . Philanthropy . Sonny Werblin and his wife established the David and Leah Ray Werblin Foundation which provides financial support for Rutgers University , charitable causes , and cultural activities . Rutgers University built the Sonny Werblin Recreation Center on its Busch Campus , near High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway , New Jersey , across the Raritan River from its main campus in New Brunswick . The Center is home to weight - training facilities and the University ' s main venues for water - sports competition . External links . http : / / sportsillustrated . cnn . com / vault / article / magazine / MAG1077446 / index . htm