Stephen J. Bisciotti
Owner
Biography
The passionate Bisciotti, who at 64 is the NFL's fourth-youngest majority owner (Kansas City's Clark Hunt, 59, Arizona's Michael Bidwill, 59 and Washington's Josh Harris, 59), bought a minority interest in the Ravens from Art Modell in 2000, completing the purchase of the franchise on April 9, 2004.
Steve's initial investment to the team provided funds to secure free agents for the 2000 Super Bowl XXXV Championship team. Today, his influence in the NFL continues to rise. He served for several years on two important ownership committees: Broadcast and Digital Media.
When Bisciotti, now in his 25th year as an owner of the Ravens, hired Harbaugh as the team's head coach in January of 2008, some eyebrows were raised. Harbaugh had never been a head coach at any level. In fact, he had not been an offensive or defensive coordinator in the NFL. It was obviously the right choice. Along with the Super Bowl XLVII victory during the 2012 season, Baltimore advanced to the playoffs in its first five years with Harbaugh, who is the only modern-day (since 1970) head coach to win a playoff game in each of his first four and five seasons. He is also the only head coach in NFL history to win a playoff game in six of the first seven seasons, while his 12 playoff victories tie (Tom Coughlin and Bill Cowher) for the fifth most ever by a head coach in the first 16 seasons of an NFL coaching career.
"We all saw something in John. And, you have to be willing to separate yourself from the masses – take some chances – to achieve great success," Bisciotti says of Harbaugh, who in 2019 was named NFL Coach of the Year after guiding Baltimore to a franchise-best 14-2 record. "There's probably a little bit more perception that we took a risk with John. We don't think we did."
Since taking over as the Ravens' full owner (2004), Bisciotti's teams have earned the playoffs a total of 12 times, including the AFC's No. 1 seed in both 2019 (14-2 record) and 2023 (13-4 record). His 2004 (9-7), 2013 (8-8), 2017 (9-7) and 2021 (8-9) teams were in playoff contention heading into the season's final week. Baltimore has also captured six division crowns under Steve's leadership, and with Harbaugh at the helm (since 2008), has produced the league's third-most total victories (172, including playoffs).
Born in Philadelphia on April 10, 1960, Bisciotti moved with his family to Baltimore (Severna Park) in March of 1961 when Steve, the youngest of three children, was 11 months old. His father, Bernard, took the children to Orioles and Colts games. Sadly, Bernard died of leukemia when Steve was 8. His mother, Patricia, a huge Ravens fan, then raised the children.
After graduating from Salisbury (Md.) State University in 1982 with a degree in liberal arts, Bisciotti worked in the temporary help industry. In 1983 (at age 23), he started Aerotek with his cousin, Jim Davis. They offered aerospace and technology companies access to skilled temporary employees.
Aerotek is part of Allegis Group, the largest staffing firm in the United States and the largest privately held talent management firm in the world. The company, headquartered just outside Baltimore, has offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Allegis Group has over 16,000 internal employees and 130,000 employees assigned to client locations. These include engineers, scientists, IT professionals, accountants, attorneys and industrial workers.
Before purchasing the Ravens, Bisciotti's business success was not well known to the general public on a national level, or even notable in the Baltimore area, where he and his partners kept a low profile. "I'm OK if I'm one of the least known owners in pro sports," Bisciotti says.
Steve, an energetic visionary, is quietly dedicated to several important causes and projects, some associated with his deep Catholic faith. He is a board member for Catholic Charities and created The Stephen and Renee Bisciotti Foundation. Most of Bisciotti's extensive charity work and generous giving are done without public notice, although, in 2020, it was announced that the foundation and the Ravens combined to donate $5 million to assist vital programs supported by Catholic Charities from more than 200 locations in Baltimore City and nine Maryland counties.
In August of 2020, the foundation and the Ravens also jointly distributed $1 million to support social justice reform in Baltimore, with a committee of current and former Ravens players determining the 28 programs chosen to receive funds from the contribution.
Additionally, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Steve and Renee's foundation and the Ravens combined to donate $1 million to support four nonprofit organizations – the Fund for Educational Excellence, the United Way of Central Maryland, the Baltimore Community Foundation and the Maryland Food Bank – in their efforts to combat the public health crisis.
In June of 2021, Steve and Renee honored Ozzie Newsome – the Ravens' longtime personnel executive and Pro Football Hall of Famer – by making a $4 million gift in his name to Maryland's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Through their foundation, the $4 million donation created the Ozzie Newsome Scholars Program, which funds scholarships for Baltimore City Public Schools graduates who attend an HBCU in Maryland.
In January of 2023, The Stephen and Renee Bisciotti foundation and the Ravens made a $20 million commitment to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Baltimore to create the Baltimore Ravens Boys & Girls Club at Hilton Recreation Center. The previously-closed center will undergo a comprehensive renovation resulting in a space where hundreds of children ages 6-18 will participate daily in youth development programs. In April of 2024, Steve and Renee's foundation and the Ravens announced a $10 million donation to help form the Baltimore Ravens College Track Center, targeted to open in the fall of 2025. The new academic facility is being created to help Baltimore City Public School students advance through high school, college and into the workforce.
Bisciotti enjoys golfing and boating. He and his wife, Renee (Foote), are the parents of two sons: Jason and Jack, both of whom reside with their families in the Baltimore area.
(Bisciotti is pronounced: bih-SHAH-tee.)