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By Times staff writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published April 24, 2000
TAMPA -- Edward B. Rood, a longtime Tampa lawyer, part-time oil baron and passionate supporter of sports programs, has died. He was 83.
Mr. Rood was walking home from dinner Friday about 10 p.m. when he suffered either a heart attack or a stroke, said his son Edward C. Rood.
"He was talking with some friends and just dropped dead," Rood said. "He was in perfect health, taking no medications and there was no warning. He was dead when he hit the floor."
Mr. Rood had been a driving force in Tampa's bid to join the National Football League. He led a partnership that sought a franchise and helped convince NFL officials that Tampa Bay could support a team.
But Mr. Rood had a stronger affinity for the "underdog" sports than he did for the high-profile, glamorous professional sports.
"My dad always had a link to sports," Rood said. "He was an NCAA champion swimmer at the University of Florida and was captain of the team all four years there. He just liked the discipline that sports brought. And he believed in giving back to the community."
Mr. Rood donated $375,000 to the University of Tampa in 1982 to help that college launch its soccer program. He also donated a swimming pool to the UF swim program and wrote a check for $500,000 to the law school there to establish an eminent scholar chair.
In 1993, when the University of South Florida was getting into the college football ranks, Mr. Rood kicked in $1-million for its effort. At USF, Mr. Rood's name was on an annual golf tournament for 12 years that raised money for the school's golf program.
"He always liked the underdogs in the new program," Rood said. "So it wasn't just football. It was a belief in helping universities grow young sports programs."
In 1989, Mr. Rood told the Times: "I don't believe in dying with a lot of money. I'm 73, and I don't know how long I have to live, so I'm giving it away. I owe it all to Tampa, and I'm giving it back."
Mr. Rood's son said his father believed in the concept of "civic rent," the ideal that one must make regular payments to the community that fosters one's success. "He gave regularly, and he gave continuously," Rood said.
In 1995, Mr. Rood had to leave his profession when, after more than 50 years of practicing law, his license was suspended by the Florida Supreme Court.
Two years earlier, a Florida Bar referee had recommended Mr. Rood be disbarred for charging excessive fees and for unethical conduct. He avoided that punishment when the Supreme Court imposed only a suspension.
But in 1996, Mr. Rood was disbarred for continuing to practice law during the suspension.
Mr. Rood had plenty to fall back on. Through investing in the oil well markets in the 1960s, he was able to amass a fortune that he estimated was worth between $30-million and $40-million.
Mr. Rood also branched into the entertainment industry, hooking up with Richard Pryor on two films and Sammy Davis Jr. on another.
Mr. Rood's family, which includes two sons, a daughter, a brother and a sister and seven grandchildren, will hold a private service today.