NEW ORLEANS - Tom Benson, a successful auto dealer who brought the New Orleans Saints their only winning seasons and the "Benson Boogie," has died. Benson, who has also owned the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans since 2012, was 90.

The NFL and NBA teams announced Benson's death on Thursday. He had been hospitalized since Feb. 16 with flu symptoms.

Benson made his mark in pro sports with the Saints, which he bought in 1985 when it appeared the club would be sold to out-of-state interests and perhaps moved out of Louisiana. He paid $70 million for the team, which is now worth more than $1 billion.

Benson's business acumen helped turn the Saints from a perennial also-ran into a contender - and the 2009 NFL champion. Yet his ownership also was less flatteringly marked by the 2012 bounty scandal and by rumors Benson did not want to bring the team back to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005. With the Superdome and much of the city wrecked by Katrina, the Saints temporarily relocated to San Antonio, where Benson had many business holdings.

One of four children, Benson grew up in the hard-scrabble Ninth Ward of New Orleans.

In 1945, Benson served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS South Dakota. Then he studied business and accounting at Loyola University in New Orleans, went to work as a bookkeeper for Cathey Chevrolet Co., and was sent to San Antonio as a 29-year-old in 1956 to manage a Chevrolet dealership as a junior partner. Six years later, he took full control of the company and established his own dealership.

Asides from owning multiple car dealerships in San Antonio, Benson was known for donating to several Catholic schools. The University of the Incarnate Word, which is home to the Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium, released a statement saying

We have just learned of the passing of our dear friend and benefactor Tom Benson. His death is a profound loss and one that will be felt across San Antonio and the nation. He was a stalwart supporter of our mission providing scholarships for our students and support for our athletic program which enabled us to build the Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium. His legacy will live on. We send prayers for the entire Benson family during this difficult time.