Jeffrey Lurie '73 Biography
Driven by a tireless pursuit of a Super Bowl championship for the city of Philadelphia, Jeffrey Lurie has shaped the Philadelphia Eagles football team into one of the most successful organizations in professional sports on and off the field. Along the way he has fueled energy, optimism, and pride throughout the entire Eagles organization and has provided first-class working facilities with a family atmosphere.
Winning is what drives Lurie and the Eagles have been one of the most successful franchises in all of sports under his stewardship. From 2000-09, the Eagles won an NFC-best 103 regular season games and 10 playoff contests, while capturing five division titles. As such, the Eagles became just the 13th team to top the century mark in wins over the course of one decade. Since Lurie’s purchase of the team in 1994, the Eagles have a greater overall winning percentage, appeared in more playoff games and won more than any other ownership group in team history.
"I can honestly say that every single one of our employees, from players to coaches to everyone in the front office, is squarely focused on doing whatever it takes to win it all, even if the steps we have to take toward that goal are not always popular,” said Lurie. “Knowing that everyone is pushing themselves to be better year after year is important, and I want our fans to know that every member of this organization shares their desire to win a Super Bowl championship."
Early in Lurie’s tenure in Philadelphia, one of his goals was to upgrade the Eagles working environment. The Eagles have since moved into two state-of-the-art facilities, Lincoln Financial Field and NovaCare Complex, their day-to-day workplace since 2001. Lurie is well respected among the NFL's top hierarchy where he serves on the NFL's Finance Committee, Broadcast Committee, International Committee, and the Super Bowl Advisory Committee.
He describes his ownership philosophy of as a "partnership between the city, the fans and the team." As part of that, he formed the Eagles Youth Partnership (EYP), the team's non-profit, charitable wing which focuses on the community and its needs. Since its inception in 1995, EYP has become one of the most innovative and dynamic non-profit organizations in sports philanthropy.
In 2005, EYP was awarded the inaugural Steve Patterson Award for Excellence in Sports Philanthropy, established by the Sports Philanthropy Project and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Philadelphia Business Journal honored the Eagles as one of Philadelphia's top charitable corporations in 2010. "That giving attitude made them a winner in every category of the Corporate Philanthropy Awards." The Eagles earned the coveted 2011 Sport Team of the Year award by Beyond Sport, a global organization that promotes, develops and funds the use of sport to create positive social change across the world. They won the prestigious award not only for the work of EYP but the team’s Tackling Breast Cancer program, as well as its extensive environmental work via its Go Green! initiatives.
Under Lurie's leadership, the Eagles developed a substantial environmental program dubbed "Go Green" which is a ground-breaking effort to better the environment by creating and sustaining programs that improve the quality of life in the region and reduce the team’s impact on the community. Lurie received the 2008 Ongoing Commitment Award from the Environmental Media Association for the organization's efforts.
In 2010, Lurie was honored by Drexel University's LeBow College of Business with its 2010 Business Leaders of the Year award.
In 1996, Lurie was the recipient of the Torch of Liberty Award conferred by the Anti-Defamation League of Philadelphia and a year later was honored by Philadelphia's Operation Understanding, an acclaimed group that fosters interracial harmony among future leaders of the African-American and Jewish communities.
Lurie's commitment to philanthropy is present in his business and personal endeavors. He established the Lurie Family Foundation in 2006 with an emphasis on health issues, especially in the areas of autism and cancer research. The Foundation also supports documentaries addressing global issues through Screen Pass Pictures, a documentary film company. Lurie served as an executive producer of the documentary film, Inside Job, a comprehensive portrayal of the global economic crisis of 2008. The film earned the Academy Award for Best Documentary (Feature) in 2011. Most recently, he executive produced the documentary film, Inocente, which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short in 2013. Inocente follows the story of a fifteen year old, homeless, undocumented immigrant, clinging to her determination to become an artist in the face of a bleak future.
Lurie is also a director of the NLM Family Foundation, which devotes much of their resources to autism research and education. NLM co-funded a short documentary film entitled Autism Is A World that received a nomination for a 2005 Academy Award. "Autism is one of the most under-funded conditions in the country, and we need to raise awareness," said Lurie. "Those who have autism are wonderful people, usually highly intelligent, sweet and caring. They are often unable to effectively communicate with others. A great deal more research needs to be done."
For his continued efforts towards the cause, Lurie was honored by Autism Speaks at the Kickoff for a Cure IV in 2009.
Prior to entering business, Lurie served as an adjunct assistant professor of social policy at Boston University. He earned a B.A. from Clark University, a master's degree in psychology from Boston University and a Ph.D in social policy from Brandeis University. Lurie also served as the president and chief executive officer of Chestnut Hill Productions, a Los Angeles-based film company, since forming it in 1985.
Born on Sept. 8, 1951, Lurie resides in the Philadelphia area with his two children.