Billionaire Larry Ellison’s new wife turned out to be the missing link behind his investments in college football at the University of Michigan.
Football boosters thanked Ellison, 80 – the world’s fourth richest man and founder of cloud software company Oracle – as a decisive monetary force in poaching top-rated quarterback Bryce Underwood from Louisiana State University. The boosters also thanked Ellison’s wife, a 33-year-old woman named Jolin who also goes by the name Keren Zhu, reported The Wall Street Journal.
“I would like to personally thank Larry and his wife Jolin, who were instrumental in making this possible,” said Nate Forbes, president of the Champions Circle booster collective.
The Journal reported that Zhu is an alum of the University of Michigan, with a bachelor’s degree in international studies in 2012. The outlet also reported that Zhu’s name appears on real estate owned by Octopus Holdings, which is owned by Ellison.
Although Ellison has not publicly confirmed that he has married for the fifth time, several sports officials have confirmed Jolin’s influence on Ellison’s decision-making.
Jolin and Ellison reportedly personally lobbied for Underwood during a Zoom call with Bryce and his father, Jay. Ellison talked about his upbringing on the South Side of Chicago, and Jolin reportedly expressed her interest in seeing the Michigan Wolverines back on top in the football world.
“It wasn’t really a pitch,” Jay said.
He added: ‘I think a happy woman, a happy life.’
Retired quarterback Tom Brady, another Michigan alum, also reportedly called Underwood to lobby for him to attend the school.
Ellison was previously married to Adda Quinn in 1967, divorced in 1974, and Nancy Wheeler Jenkins in 1977, divorced in 1978. Jenkins reportedly sold her shares in Ellison’s company SDL, which would later become Oracle, for $500.
Ellison subsequently married and had two children with Barbara Boothe, from 1983 to 1986, before marrying novelist Melanie Craft in 2003, with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs serving as their wedding photographer. They divorced in 2010.
