Fred Smith, the founder of FedEx Corp and a minority owner of the Washington NFL franchise from 2003 to 2021, died at the age of 80, per ESPN.

FedEx started operating in 1973, delivering small parcels and documents more quickly than the postal service. Over the next half-century, Smith, a Marine Corps veteran, oversaw the growth of a company that became something of an economic bellwether because so many other companies rely on it.