Meet billionaire Shahid Khan and his wrestling-obsessed son Tony: Shahid owns Fulham FC, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Four Seasons properties in North America, while Tony founded All Elite Wrestling
The Pakistani-born tycoon went to the US to study engineering, designed a truck bumper that made him rich, and now owns a football club and an American football team, and supports his son’s firm, AEW
When he was 16, Pakistani-born billionaire Shahid Khan went to the US with only US$500 in his pocket. He got a job as a dishwasher on his second day in the country and began dreaming the American dream.
That was in 1967. Now 74, the tycoon has created a sporting empire, buying the Jacksonville Jaguars and English football club Fulham. He has also been a sleeping partner in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), the organisation led by his son, Tony.
Shahid is married to Ann Carlson Khan, whom he met at university. They have two children, daughter Shanna and son Tony. Shahid and Tony have a close relationship and Tony has told of how his father has supported his dreams and given him the space to learn from him.
Here’s what you need to know about the Khans.
(Almost) rags to riches
Shahid’s life story, from hopeful immigrant to one of the richest men in the US, has led him to be called the “face of the American dream”, according to Forbes. Khan, born into a middle-class family in Lahore, left Pakistan for the US at 16 to go to the University of Illinois to study mechanical engineering. He landed during a blizzard and saw snow for the first time. His shoes were falling apart and he was worried about money, so the next day he took a dishwashing job, thinking he had hit the big time.
Per TheSportster, he began working in the auto-parts industry after university. In 1980, he bought the Flex-N-Gate company from a former employer. With his engineering training, Shahid designed a one-piece truck bumper that made him millions of dollars. His company now has 76 plants around the world and more than 27,000 employees.
Per Forbes, his estimated net worth is US$13.1 billion. He has invested in the sports industry, buying American football team the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2012 and English football club Fulham in 2013. His other business interests include ownership of the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto and a new Four Seasons property in Jacksonville, Florida, expected to open next year.