Waiting Continues on Vikings’ Sale

Reggie Fowler marched into the San Antonio office of Minnesota Viking owner Red McCombs last spring, brimming with his usual determination.

“He was 100 percent committed to getting it done,” McCombs said. “He was very straightforward. He said, ‘I am going to buy your football team.’

“I said, ‘Well, good luck.’ ”

Fowler’s bid to become the league’s first black owner is built on more than just good fortune, but the Arizona businessman has no guarantees this historical transaction will be completed, either.

Most NFL owners are billionaires; the Arizona Republic recently figured Fowler’s worth at about $400 million. With little known about his wealth, including the worth of his self-made company, Spiral Inc., league insiders have had their doubts since his agreement to purchase the Vikings for a reported $625 million was announced on Feb. 14. A relative unknown in the Phoenix area, Fowler even flew below the local chamber of commerce’s radar until recently.

Though the lengthy review process has raised skepticism about the viability of this sale, commissioner Paul Tagliabue said at last week’s NFL meetings the timetable was typical. Twenty-four of the league’s 32 owners must approve, and a vote is expected when the NFL next convenes May 24-25 in Washington, D.C.

“The review is continuing,” league spokesman Greg Aiello said Thursday.

Fowler reportedly is attempting to sell a portion of his aviation simulation business, SATCO; that’s the main reason for the holdup. League rules require the general partner to pay for at least 30 percent of the purchase, but the general partner is allowed to borrow up to $125 million toward the cost. Tagliabue acknowledged last week that Fowler doesn’t yet have everything lined up.

“We’re working with Mr. Fowler and his people and the transactions that have to be completed in order for him to finalize the purchase,” the commissioner said.

Fowler has three East Coast investors with deep pockets -- Zygmunt Wilf, Alan Landis and David Mandelbaum -- plus a Minnesota car dealer, Denny Hecker, as limited partners. Fowler steadfastly has refused to reveal his net worth, but McCombs and the NFL have carefully examined his finances over the last 11 months.

“If both those groups did not feel that we were capable of doing what we’re doing,” Fowler said, “we would not have been allowed to sign a purchase agreement. You cannot just show up and sign an agreement without showing proper documentation that you’re financially capable of making that acquisition.”

Sentiment toward the fiercely private Fowler soured a few days after the agreement with McCombs was announced, stemming from his mysterious nature and worsened by revelations of inaccuracies in a biography created and distributed by his company. Fowler then traveled to the Twin Cities to pledge his credibility and legitimacy to fans and apologize for the deception.

“I want you people to know I want to be a part of your community,” he said. “I’m willing to walk down the street with my head held high. I’m going to take the punches.”

During an hourlong interview with a handful of Minneapolis writers, Fowler -- a licensed pilot and divorced father of two -- described a harrowing landing on his private plane a few years ago.

His father, who served in the U.S. Air Force, owned a barbecue joint in Tucson. The second oldest among five children, Fowler said the restaurant was used to film parts of the 1974 Martin Scorsese movie, “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.”

A star running back at Sahuaro High School, Fowler earned a scholarship at Wyoming and played there from 1978 to ’81. He switched to linebacker after learning the Cowboys were ditching their wishbone offense. During one game, Fowler got his finger caught in a helmet while making a tackle.

“They just cut the tip off and put it back on,” he said.

After unsuccessful tryouts in the NFL and CFL, Fowler played one season for the Arizona Wranglers in the now-defunct USFL before turning his attention to business.