June 25 (Bloomberg) -- Gloria and Emilio Estefan bought a minority share of the National Football League’s Miami Dolphins, making the pop singer and her producer husband the first Cuban- Americans to own part of a team.

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross praised the Estefans as business people and said the move was the first step in a plan to include “the diverse elements of this community as part of our ownership group.”

“The Estefans are known internationally as true visionaries in entrepreneurship, entertainment and business,” Ross said in a statement. “We are looking forward to their contributions to help enhance the game-day experience for our fans.”

Ross finished buying the Dolphins from Wayne Huizenga in January, paying about $1 billion for the team, its stadium and related properties. Financial terms of the deal and how much of the team the Estefans bought weren’t disclosed in the release.

The Dolphins won the American Football Conference East Division last season, losing to the Baltimore Ravens 27-9 in the first round of the playoffs.

The Estefans are longtime Dolphins fans, the release said. Emilio Estefan has won 19 Grammy Awards as a music producer. Gloria Estefan has won seven Grammy Awards and sold more than 90 million albums worldwide. She has sung the theme song for “Monday Night Football” telecasts before Dolphins games.

“This is a historical moment for all Latinos -- a moment that proves that dreams do come true,” Emilio Estefan said in a statement.

Estefan isn’t the first pop star involved with the Dolphins. Last month, Ross joined with Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville enterprise in a deal that renamed the team’s home field Land Shark Stadium after a lager brewed by Anheuser-Busch InBev NV.

To contact the reporter on this story: Aaron Kuriloff in New York at akuriloff@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: June 25, 2009 13:17 EDT