Background
Carl Anschutz, Anschutz's great-grandfather, an ethnic German who emigrated from Russia, started the Farmers State Bank in Russell, Kansas. Anschutz grew up in Russell, Wichita, and Hays, Kansas, where he lived near Bob Dole.
(Between 1800 and 1920, an extraordinary cast of bold inno...)
Between 1800 and 1920, an extraordinary cast of bold innovators and entrepreneurs helped lay the groundwork for what we now call the American West. Out Where the West Begins profiles some fifty of these individuals, tracing the arcs of their lives, exploring their backgrounds and motivations, identifying their contributions, and analyzing the strategies they developed to succeed in their chosen fields.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0990550206/?tag=2022091-20
2015
Carl Anschutz, Anschutz's great-grandfather, an ethnic German who emigrated from Russia, started the Farmers State Bank in Russell, Kansas. Anschutz grew up in Russell, Wichita, and Hays, Kansas, where he lived near Bob Dole.
Dropped out of the University of Virginia law school.
Anschutz bought out his father's drilling company, Circle A Drilling, in 1961 and earned large returns in Wyoming. He has invested in stocks, real estate and railroads. He then began investing in entertainment companies, co-founding Major League Soccer as well as multiple teams, including the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chicago Fire, Houston Dynamo, San Jose Earthquakes, and the New York / New Jersey Metro Stars. Anschutz owns stakes in the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Kings, and venues including the Staples Center, O2 Arena, and the StubHub Center.
In 1970, Anschutz bought the 250,000-acre (1,000 km²) Baughman Farms, one of the country's largest farming corporations, in Liberal, Kansas for $10 million. The following year, he acquired 9 million acres (36,000 km²) along the Utah-Wyoming border. This produced his first fortune in the oil business.[14] In the early 1980s, the Anschutz Ranch, with its 1 billion barrel (160,000,000 m³) oil pocket, became the largest oil field discovery in the United States since Prudhoe Bay in Alaska in 1968. He sold an interest in it to Mobil Oil for $500 million in 1982.
(Between 1800 and 1920, an extraordinary cast of bold inno...)
2015He is a member of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.
Anschutz grew up in Russell, Wichita, and Hays, Kansas, where he lived near Bob Dole. In later years, Anschutz contributed to Dole's political campaigns.
Anschutz is a somewhat reclusive man who prefers to stay out of the limelight. He has granted only two formal interviews since 1979, and none at all since the 1980s.
Physical Characteristics: An avid squash player, Anschutz is playing less now because of a bad back. He walks and runs 4 to 5 miles a day, but he no longer competes in marathons.
Quotes from others about the person
"He's not flashy." - Craig Slater, president of the Anschutz Corporation.
"There's a perception that he's aloof," said his son, Christian Anschutz, a Denver real estate developer. "But he is as down to earth and personable as any person can be. I don't think people know the real Phil Anschutz and how passionate he is about the state of Colorado."
He is married, has three children (a boy and two girls).