Days before league owners approved his $2.275 billion purchase of the Carolina Panthers, David Tepper told a commencement crowd in his hometown of Pittsburgh that his own family was unable to afford NFL tickets.
That humble background no doubt is on his mind as Tepper, who built a net worth of more than $11 billion as a hedge fund manager, figures out how to approach his role as team owner.
Friday night, in the team’s first home game under his ownership, Tepper wasted no time getting to know some of the people who fill Bank of America Stadium each week.