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Horseman, entrepreneur Borislow dies at 52 [Philadelphia Daily News :: ](Philadelphia Daily News (PA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) July 23--ANYBODY WHO met Dan Borislow understood almost instantly they were dealing with a larger-than-life figure -- in business, at the racetrack, as a gambler, in life, savoring anything and everything he did. The Plymouth Whitemarsh and Widener University grad made millions in the telecom business, first with Tel-Save, a long-distance telephone-service provider and, more recently, with "magicJack," the device that enables people to make long-distance calls free over the Internet. His venture with women's professional soccer in Florida went less well. Borislow, who owned one of the best 2-year-old horses of 2002 (Toccet, named after Rick Tocchet), was a betting legend at any racetrack where he appeared. If he wasn't the biggest bettor in America, he was in the conversation. He lived life just as he bet -- all in. Borislow's in-your-face style surely made the suits in the boardrooms uncomfortable, but the parking lot attendants loved him. The day before Memorial Day, he took down Gulfstream Park's $6.7 million Rainbow Six Jackpot by overwhelming the pool the day before all the big money was going to flow in for the mandatory payout. Thirteen days later, he won almost $2 million betting Tonalist to win in the Belmont Stakes. Monday night near West Palm Beach, Fla., where he lived with his wife Shelly, son Danny and daughter Kylie, Borislow, 52, died of an apparent heart attack. He had just played in a men's league soccer game. Keith Jones, the former Flyer and current NHL studio analyst, knew Borislow very well. They hung out at racetracks, Eagles games and even Caribbean islands. "You can't live life any better than he did," Jones said. "And I don't think you could be kinder behind the scenes than he was. He was that kind of guy that came across as gruff and grumpy and then the next thing he would be helping somebody that would have surprised you if you ever found out. We lost a good one." Jones first met Borislow after Steve Coates' charity golf tournament. "Craig Berube played in his foursome and, after he was done golfing, he said, 'You got to meet this guy, he's nuts,' " Jones remembered. "He was absolutely accurate. But he had such a positive influence on my life where anything went, from taking private jets to Las Vegas or to LA to watch the Sixers [in the NBA Finals], renting a private island in the middle of the Caribbean, relating to the $2 bettor at PhillyPark. He touched a lot of different people." Borislow had a box for Eagles games at the Vet and had a 50-yard-line box during the first decade of the Linc before giving it up. "The stories about him will go on forever," Jones said. "He created almost like a fantasy world. You felt like you were floating on air when you were hanging around that guy." Reality, sadly and suddenly, intervened Monday. Borislow was really looking forward to seeing his son start his freshman year at Penn. "He was such a great father to his two kids," Jones said. "He was always concerned where they were, how they were getting there, all the stuff we do as parents. As crazy and off the wall as he could be at times, he was always a great dad." Dan Borislow was never cheated in life. His family and friends, however, will be cheated by all the other years that seemed to be promised but were taken away in an instant Monday. ___ (c)2014 the Philadelphia Daily News Visit the Philadelphia Daily News at www.philly.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |