Who is the guy behind Charlotte’s pro soccer and lacrosse teams? 9 Jim facts.

The Story

Jim McPhilliamy was fired from the Charlotte Bobcats in 2010, but didn’t want to leave the city. He did what any great entrepreneur would do – he got after it. Jim is the driving force behind the Charlotte Hounds (lacrosse) and the Charlotte Independence (soccer).

10 Facts about Jim:

(1) Jim likes to ski.

First runs of the season. pic.twitter.com/4YEZD98Wvl

— Jim McPhilliamy (@McPhilliamy) November 26, 2014

//><!--(2) Jim is 49, went to Baylor, married, and has 2 children.//--><!

(3) Jim is setting it up so that after stadium renovations, both the Hounds and the Independence will play at Memorial Stadium in Charlotte. I love this strategy. Jim told the Observer: “The whole idea is for the two to complement each other. We’ll be programming 25 or more events – soccer and lacrosse. Our hope is that people will know there’s something going on (at the stadium), but they won’t necessarily know whether it’s soccer or lacrosse. They’ll just know it’s fun and it’s the place to be.”

(4) Jim is just like you – he enjoys a good tailgate.

Tailgating with the Hounds! pic.twitter.com/uMflJkwpha — Jim McPhilliamy (@McPhilliamy) August 25, 2013

(5) Jim has worked all over the place: NASCAR, Tampa Bay Rays, Pittsburgh Pirates, Minnesota Vikings, Houston Rockets, Bobcats and Digitas (big digital ad agency).

(6) Jim’s front office team is currently 10 full-time people and growing to 12 soon. Office is in the Epicentre. You can view the front office team here. They like to have a good time.

I can see our productivity goes up when I’m away – really: Charlotte Hounds’s post on Vine https://t.co/yUekAmDfrD

— Jim McPhilliamy (@McPhilliamy) March 29, 2013

//><!--(7) Jim does yoga with his kids.//--><!

@mcphilliamy family yoga this AM. I’ve been practicing for 3 yrs & the kids just started -they’re better than me pic.twitter.com/XADqnL5tp7 — Jim McPhilliamy (@McPhilliamy) December 22, 2014

(8) Jim and his investment group scored a Major League Lacrosse team in Charlotte (2011). The same group scored the rights for a United Soccer Leagues Pro team in 2014 (starts in 2015).

(9) Jim likes to cook. Looks like he may also enjoy poker judging from the poker chips in the upper left corner.

Cold smoking some corn in apple wood smoke for tamales pic.twitter.com/P9r6Hf53Hp

— Jim McPhilliamy (@McPhilliamy) December 24, 2014

C5’s Take:

We love what Jim and his group have done for the city of Charlotte. We’re bullish on soccer and lacrosse in Charlotte. Especially soccer. We hope that Jim can find a big investor with deep pockets to support a bid to the MLS. We also believe he has hired a smart team. Well done, Jim, well done.

Photo: David T. Foster, III / Charlotte Observer

This story was originally published December 29, 2014 at 1:07 AM with the headline "Who is the guy behind Charlotte’s pro soccer and lacrosse teams? 9 Jim facts.."