November 18, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan walks on the sideline before a game against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

We all know him as the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, but Shahid Khan is also an entrepreneur in vehicle assembly with his company Flex-N-Gate.  A distinguished alumnus of The University of Illinois, Khan has been invited to give the commencement address for both University of Illinois ceremonies on May 12th.

For those of you who have never been to Champaign or Urbana, Illinois, Shad Khan’s mark is all over the place.  Whether it’s the headquarters of Urbana-based Flex-N-Gate, the new library in Illinois, or his rising star among distinguished engineering graduates, Khan is a very visibile member of the community.  Illinois may award him an honorary doctorate degree, according to the News-Gazette.

This is very big honor for Khan, and, from his Jaguar family to his Champaign-Urbana family, we congratulate him.

- Luke N. Sims

Feel free to leave comments on here or visit us at Facebook or Twitter!

You can also find me on Twitter @LukeNSims

Champaign and Urbana are 135 miles south of Chicago, 124 miles west of Indianapolis, and 178 miles north east of St. Louis.  I’m certain there are fans of the Rams (A team he tried to purchase a stake of  before the Jaguars), Bears, and Colts among the 120,000 people in the cities.  Why shouldn’t some of them become Jaguars fans?

Yay for Philanthropy!!! Source: The Luke Sims Phone of Awesome

Khan has had a profound impact on the cities of Champaign and Urbana.  Downstairs from where I am writing, the checkout proudly proclaims “Ann and Shahid Khan CHECKOUT” and a few feet from that their names are prominently displayed on a list of donors.  Khan is a distinguished alumnus of Illinois and has helped to turn the city into an important center for the automotive industry with his company that supplies bumpers to Toyota.

It is important for the owner of a football team to reach out to the community.  An owner that wins over the fanbase can promote and fortify strong ticket sales.  The owner can also make the team a cemented part of the locality by doing work for the community and hosting events for the surrounding area.  Khan has done this and is working to make the Jaguars already stellar local image even better.

But Khan has a reach that extends far beyond Jacksonville.  He also has a reach to America’s heartland.  Here in Champaign he has a little slice of support for his endeavors.  He has helped to make the area richer, more noticeable nationally (if a “Public Ivy” needs any more notoriety), and he has a firm grasp on what matters: outreach.

We all know that Khan is a good guy and has made a positive name for himself.  However, it took me a trip across the nation to discover that his reach will be far greater than I imagined.  Who knows, maybe we’ll be stealing some Colts fans away from mid-Illinois this season!

- Luke N. Sims

Feel free to leave comments on here or visit us at Facebook or Twitter!

You can also find me on Twitter @LukeNSims