Pittsburgh Steelers minority owner and LendingTree CEO Doug Lebda was killed in an ATV accident over the weekend. He was 55. WMUR 9 shared the story Wednesday morning, noting the accident occurred on Lebda’s North Carolina farm.
Lebda became a minority owner of the Steelers in 2019 after NFL rules forced David Tepper to sell his shares of the team after buying the Carolina Panthers. The league disallows individuals from having ownership in multiple franchises.
Lebda was listed atop of the Steelers’ minority ownership group in the team’s most recent media guide. He was one of 18 individual minority owners along with the NC Revocable Trust group, which also bought a portion of Tepper’s shares in 2019. Other minority owners included Hall of Fame WR John Stallworth, business man and filmmaker Thomas Tull, and several members of the Rooney family.
“Doug was a visionary leader whose relentless drive, innovation and passion transformed the financial services landscape, touching the lives of millions of consumers,” LendingTree’s board of directors said in a prepared statement, via WMUR 9. “His passion will continue to inspire us as we move forward together.”
Scott Peyree was immediately named the company’s new CEO.
Lebda founded LendingTree in 1996 and grew the company to have nearly 1,000 employees by the end of 2024. He was born in Lewisburg, PA outside of Harrisburg. He attended Bucknell University and the University of Virginia, where he studied business.
He is survived by wife Megan and three daughters.
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