Stan Kroenke has become the majority owner of the St. Louis Rams, the National Football League announced today. The decision was made by a vote by the league’s owners at a meeting in Atlanta this morning. Kroenke will become the seventh majority owner in the team’s 73-year history.

“Stan has been a familiar and respected figure in the National Football League for more than 15 years,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “He is a proven businessman and has experienced success in all of his sports franchises, as well as serving as a responsible community leader. We look forward to him continuing to uphold the goals and values of the NFL as he becomes the majority owner of the St. Louis Rams.”

Prior to becoming the majority owner of the Rams, Kroenke was the minority owner of the team. He was vital in the effort to bring professional football back to St. Louis in 1995. With his real estate development expertise, Kroenke was instrumental in the building of Rams Park.

“We are delighted with today’s vote by NFL owners. It is one of the very high points of our long association with the NFL,” Kroenke said. “We look forward to working with our fellow owners and Commissioner Goodell as the transaction is finalized and in the years ahead.

Kroenke currently is the owner of the Colorado Avalanche (NHL), Denver Nuggets (NBA), the Colorado Rapids (MLS) and the Colorado Mammoth (NLL). He is also the largest shareholder of Arsenal FC of the English Premier League.

The Pepsi Center in Denver, also owned by Kroenke, hosted the 2001 NHL All-Star game and the 2005 NBA All-Star game. This facility also played host to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. In 2004, Kroenke launched the Altitude Sports & Entertainment television network. The 24-hour regional sports network is home to the Nuggets, Avalanche and the Mammoth.

Kroenke’s extensive business interests include serving as chairman and owner of The Kroenke Group, a private real estate investment and development company with offices throughout the United States and Canada, with headquarters in Columbia, Mo. Kroenke is one of the nation’s leading developers of shopping centers and commercial real estate.

Kroenke has undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Missouri and is an active supporter of Mizzou athletic programs. In February 2009, Kroenke was enshrined into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. Joining him in the class of 2009 was former Rams defensive end Grant Wistrom.

E. Stanley Kroenke, named after baseball legends Enos Slaughter and Stan Musial, was born in Cole Camp, Mo., and grew up in Mora, Mo. Stan and his wife, Ann, have a daughter, Whitney, and a son, Josh.