Growing up, Foley mostly lived in Texas with his family and extended family, who were ranchers. For a time, he lived in Ottawa, Ontario, when his father was posted in the United States Air Force there. Foley played shinny, an informal type of ice hockey, and started a lifelong appreciation for the sport.[2]
Foley attended the United States Military Academy. While a cadet, he made $40,000 on the stock market, which he invested in during his spare time. Upon graduating from West Point, Foley was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force, where during his career he negotiated million-dollar defense contracts with Boeing. After leaving the Air Force, Foley moved into corporate law upon earning his J.D. from the University of Washington in 1974. Later, he bought and revitalized the then struggling title insurance firm Fidelity National Financial. He would go on to invest in wineries, golf courses, hotels, ski resorts, steak houses, fast-food restaurants and auto parts manufacturers.[3]
In late 2006, Foley became the majority shareholder of Winter Sports, Inc. (WSI), the operator of Whitefish Mountain Resort, in Whitefish, Montana.[4] Foley's takeover of WSI occurred through a series of two reverse stock splits that took WSI from a publicly-traded company, with many shareholders living in the local Flathead Valley, to a private S corp. Foley was able to purchase 27% of the outstanding WSI shares in the early 2000s from Richard A. Dasen, a local shareholder who went to prison for 14 prostitution-related crimes.[5][6]
In June 2016, Foley and Black Knight Sports & Entertainment was awarded a National Hockey League expansion franchise that became the Vegas Golden Knights.[7] The Golden Knights began play in the 2017–18 season at the new T-Mobile Arena, and also acquired a minority ownership of the facility.[8][9] Foley pledged to win a Stanley Cup in six seasons, and the Golden Knights made good on that promise in 2023.[10] In 2020, Black Knight Sports & Entertainment purchased an American Hockey League franchise to act as a development team for the Golden Knights, relocating the San Antonio Rampage to become the Henderson Silver Knights.[11] The Silver Knights played out of the Orleans Arena until the Dollar Loan Center, which is operated by Black Knight Sports & Entertainment, was completed in 2022.[12]
In 2021, Foley announced Black Knight Sports & Entertainment had purchased an expansion team in the Indoor Football League to begin play in 2022 at the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nevada.[13] On August 23, 2021, the team unveiled their name and logo as the Vegas Knight Hawks.[14]
On December 13, 2022, a group of investors led by Foley completed a deal to purchase English football club AFC Bournemouth, with Foley assuming the role of chairman. Ahead of the deal, he was present at one of Bournemouth's Premier League matches against Leicester City, with the Cherries winning 2–1.[15][16][17] On January 13, 2023, Foley acquired a significant minority stake in French football club Lorient, creating a partnership with Bournemouth.[18]
On October 11, 2023, the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) announced Foley as the preferred bidder to be the owner of a new A-Leagues expansion club, based in Auckland, New Zealand.[19] The APL officially confirmed the new team would be awarded a licence under Foley's ownership on November 21, with the Auckland FC men's team being introduced for the 2024–25 A-League Men season and the women's team competing from 2025–26 onwards.[20]
At an AGM held in February 2024, Black Knight ratified a deal to become a significant minority shareholder in Scottish football club Hibernian.[21] The result of this deal is that Black Knight will be acquiring 25% of Hibs for a £6 million investment, while the Gordon family will retain its majority control (60%) of the club.[21] Foley was appointed to the club's board of directors soon afterwards.[22]
Personal life
Since 1969, Foley has been married to Carol Johnson, a former flight attendant for United Airlines, with whom he has four children.[23] His wife and daughters are all involved in the family winery, located in Santa Monica, California,[24] while his son is the chief business officer of the Vegas Golden Knights.[25] His other son, who was also a part of the winemaking business, died at the age of 31 in August 2018, as a result of a traumatic head injury.[26][27]
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