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78-465: The team was first owned and run by Ed Sweeny, a shareholder in a company which handled plumbing, heating and air conditioning services for a number of companies and buildings in the city of Cleveland. Sweeny handled sponsorship for a number of Cleveland recreational sports teams and leagues, including his basketball entry which later became the Cleveland Pipers. Sweeny's winning industrial team

156-636: A second lieutenant and was stationed at Lockbourne Air Force Base in Columbus, Ohio . Following honorable discharge in 1954, he did post-graduate study at Ohio State University (1954–55), earning his master's degree in physical education . He met his wife-to-be, Elizabeth Joan Zieg , in Columbus, and married her on May 12, 1956. The couple had two sons, Hank and Hal , and two daughters, Jessica Steinbrenner and Jennifer Steinbrenner-Swindal. The Steinbrenners also have numerous grandchildren. All four of

234-401: A Yankee, he sounds like a Yankee and he is a Yankee." Damon claimed he was already planning on cutting his hair after the 2005 season. After the 1980 season , Steinbrenner made headlines by signing Dave Winfield to a 10-year, $ 23 million contract, making Winfield baseball's highest-paid player. In 1985, Steinbrenner derided Winfield's poor performance in a key September series against

312-464: A barber sent to enforce the rule. Mattingly would eventually be reinstated. Coincidentally, The Simpsons episode " Homer at the Bat ", which was filmed earlier that year, included Mattingly as a guest star who is suspended from play by Mr. Burns for his sideburns being too long, despite shaving the area of his head above where sideburns grow. In 1995, Mattingly again ran afoul of the policy when he grew

390-528: A briefly discouraging fact. That Spring, with the college basketball season concluding, a number of college players were immediately available to be signed by industrial teams, which was common then. Sweeny signed several including future New York Knick Johnny Green and Kansas State All-American Bob Boozer. He also signed Tennessee State small college champion coach McLendon to lead the Pipers and his star Dick Barnett. On April 5, 1959, this revamped Pipers team hosted

468-522: A colorful backdrop to the Yankees' loss of the series. After a Game 3 loss in Los Angeles, Steinbrenner called a press conference in his hotel room, showing off his left hand in a cast and various other injuries that he claimed were earned in a fight with two Dodgers fans in the hotel elevator. Nobody came forward about the fight, leading to the belief that he had made up the story of the fight to light

546-482: A couple of hundred chickens, and he peddled hens and their eggs door to door. "I learned a lot about business from raising chickens," he told Sports Illustrated . "Half of my customers began buying because they were afraid of me." In 1944, Steinbrenner entered Culver Military Academy in Northern Indiana , graduating in 1948. He received his B.A. from Williams College in 1952. While at Williams, George

624-527: A fire under the Yankees. After the series, he issued a public apology to the City of New York for his team's performance, while at the same time assuring the fans that plans to put the team together for 1982 would begin immediately. He was criticized heartily by players and press alike for doing so, as most people felt losing in the World Series was not something requiring an apology. Steinbrenner enforced

702-406: A glimpse of him on the rare occasions when he made an appearance at Yankee Stadium. Temporary curtains were set up to block views of his entry and exit routes, and no one was allowed near the vehicles transporting him. The press elevator carrying media members downstairs to the interview areas were shut down before he arrived, and again toward the end of the game while he departed. Steinbrenner made

780-519: A goatee. In 2005, after signing with the Yankees, former Boston Red Sox center fielder Johnny Damon , who was known for his long beard and shoulder-length hair during his time with the Red Sox, said about the policy: "Without a doubt, George Steinbrenner has a policy and I'm going to stick to it. Our policy with the Yankees is to go out there and win and we're going to try and bring another championship to them." Steinbrenner later noted, "He looks like

858-445: A group of investors, which included Nederlander, Lester Crown , John DeLorean , Nelson Bunker Hunt , and Marvin L. Warner , in purchasing the Yankees from CBS. For years, the selling price was reported to be $ 10 million. However, Steinbrenner later revealed that the deal included two parking garages that CBS had bought from the city, and soon after the deal closed, CBS bought back the garages for $ 1.2 million. The net cost to

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936-449: A mere half-dozen shows, including the 1974 Tony Award nominee for Best Musical, Seesaw , and the 1988 Peter Allen flop, Legs Diamond . The Yankees had been struggling during their years under CBS ownership, which had acquired the team in 1965 . In 1972, CBS chairman William S. Paley told team president E. Michael Burke the media company intended to sell the club. As Burke later told writer Roger Kahn , Paley offered to sell

1014-482: A military-style grooming code: All players, coaches, and male executives were forbidden to display any facial hair other than mustaches (except for religious reasons), and scalp hair could not be grown below the collar. (Long sideburns and "mutton chops" were not specifically banned.) The policy led to some unusual and comical incidents. During the 1973 home opener against the Cleveland Indians , as

1092-473: A new home to reduce the $ 750 per game cost to rent the facility. They signed an agreement with the city of Cleveland to play 27 games at Public Hall at $ 400 per game or 15 percent of the gross receipts. However, in early August 1961, Cleveland mayor Anthony Celebrezze asked to renegotiate the deal, asking for the same $ 750 per game that the Pipers had paid at the Arena. Steinbrenner refused and threatened to move

1170-531: A number of exhibitions including a visiting Soviet Union team, The U.S. Pan American Games team, and the Saint Bonaventure University college team. New stars included Kentucky's Johnny Cox, 6'9" Gene Tormohlen, and Tennessee Staters John Barnhill and Ben Warley. All later played in the NBA. They were edged 84–82 by eventual AAU champion Peoria, and their signee Boozer, and finished the season in

1248-612: A player-management contract on May 16, 1962. Lucas announced the signing in a bylined article in Sports Illustrated . His two-year deal was to pay him a yearly salary of $ 10,000 with another $ 40,000 part of an investment portfolio. At the time of the signing, Lucas indicated that while the Pipers' offer amounted to less than the three-year deal worth $ 100,000 that was offered by the NBA's Cincinnati Royals , it addressed his interest in finishing work on his degree at Ohio State and his intent to attend graduate school. In addition,

1326-476: A portion of the investments had indicated that they would be willing to hire him once his basketball career had ended. According to Bill Madden's Steinbrenner: The Last Lion of Baseball , Steinbrenner made plans in 1963 to acquire the Kansas City Steers, from the recently failed ABL, as part of an application to bring the Cleveland Pipers into the NBA, and a schedule had, supposedly, been printed for

1404-537: A rare appearance in the Bronx on the field for the 79th All-Star Game on July 15, 2008. Wearing dark glasses, he walked slowly into the stadium's media entrance with the aid of several companions, leaning upon one of them for support. He later was driven out on to the field along with his son Hal at the end of the lengthy pre-game ceremony in which the All-Stars were introduced at their fielding positions along with 49 of

1482-628: A relationship with him until his death. At his residence in Tampa, Steinbrenner supported numerous individuals and charities including the Boys and Girls Club as well as the Salvation Army . Mel Stottlemyre recalled that during his myeloma cancer treatment at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital he had mentioned in passing to Steinbrenner how he regretted not being able to watch Yankee games from his room. Stottlemyre heard that Steinbrenner went all

1560-649: A sea of debt. Sweeny allowed Steinbrenner to take over the team in April, 1960. Steinbrenner had been a longtime AAU backer. For the NIBL 1960–61 campaign, Steinbrenner's first big signing was Dan Swartz, the NIBL's leading scorer from Wichita. The Pipers went 24-10 in the now six-team league to win the NIBL title, the league's last. They then also won the 1961 AAU national tournament in Denver. The American Basketball League played one full season, 1961 – 1962 , and part of

1638-459: A wealthy shipping magnate who ran the family firm operating freight ships hauling ore and grain on the Great Lakes , inherited from his great-grandmother Sophia Steinbrenner and her mother Anna Minch. George III was named after his paternal grandfather, George Michael Steinbrenner II. Steinbrenner had two younger sisters, Susan and Judy. At age nine, the elder Steinbrenner staked George to

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1716-478: Is long time Head Athletic Trainer Gene Monahan , who in 2010 missed his first spring training in 48 years after being diagnosed with cancer. Harvey Greene, the Yankees' Director of Media Relations from 1986 to 1989, talked about the experience of working under Steinbrenner: Steinbrenner was involved with thoroughbred horse racing from the early 1970s. He owned Kinsman Stud Farm in Ocala, Florida and raced under

1794-399: Is nothing in life quite so limited as being a limited partner of George Steinbrenner." ) Paul was officially named president of the club on April 19. It would be the first of many high-profile departures with employees who crossed paths with "The Boss". At the conclusion of the 1973 season , two more prominent names departed: manager Ralph Houk , who resigned and took a similar position with

1872-484: The New York Post on the World Series. The Mets won that World Series, which relieved many Yankee fans. In addition, Yankees fans attended the parade saying that "anyone who beats Boston is worth coming down for." Steinbrenner had a reputation as a domineering boss. Only three Yankee employees were continuously employed from the start of Steinbrenner's ownership in 1973 until the end of his tenure. One of those

1950-533: The 1993 Yankees were in the American League East race with the eventual champion Toronto Blue Jays until September. The 1994 Yankees were the American League East leaders when a players' strike wiped out the rest of the season. Coincidentally, a players' strike had aided their 1981 playoff effort. In 1995 the team returned to the playoffs for the first time since 1981. However, Steinbrenner elected to fire manager Buck Showalter after

2028-617: The 2000 United States presidential election recount in Florida , Steinbrenner who had voted for George W. Bush donated $ 5,000 to the Bush-Cheney recount fund. In 2008 he donated to Hillary Clinton , Rudy Giuliani , and John McCain giving $ 2,300 to Clinton's campaign, $ 4,600 to Giuliani's campaign, and $ 15,000 to McCain Victory 2008. American Basketball League (1961%E2%80%9362) Too Many Requests If you report this error to

2106-542: The Detroit Tigers ; and general manager Lee MacPhail , who became president of the American League . The 1973 off-season would continue to be controversial when Steinbrenner and Paul fought to hire former Oakland Athletics manager Dick Williams , who had resigned immediately after leading the team to its second straight World Series title. However, because Williams was still under contract to Oakland,

2184-759: The Forbes 400 List in Forbes magazine issued in September 2009. He was the first owner of a baseball team to sell cable TV rights (to MSG Network ). On July 13, 2010, the morning of the 2010 Major League Baseball All-Star Game , Steinbrenner died of a heart attack at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, Florida . His death came nine days after his 80th birthday, two days after the death of longtime Yankee Stadium public address announcer Bob Sheppard , and eight days before that of former Yankee manager Ralph Houk . On July 14,

2262-405: The Great Lakes shipping company that his great-grandfather Henry had purchased in 1901 from The Minch Transit Company, which was owned by a family relation, and renamed. Steinbrenner worked hard to successfully revitalize the company, which was suffering hardship during difficult market conditions. In its return to profitability, Kinsman emphasized grain shipments over ore. A few years later, with

2340-614: The Pittsburgh Rens (1961–1963). On March 27, 1961, the Pipers announced that they would be joining the American Basketball League that would begin play that fall, with former Ohio State basketball star Jimmy Hull , a friend of Steinbrenner's joining the team two days later as a major stockholder in the franchise. The Pipers had played their previous two years at the Cleveland Arena, but sought

2418-497: The Toronto Blue Jays : Where is Reggie Jackson? We need a Mr. October or a Mr. September. Winfield is Mr. May. My big guys are not coming through. The guys who are supposed to carry the team are not carrying the team. They aren't producing. If I don't get big performances out of Winfield, Griffey and Baylor , we can't win. This criticism eventually became somewhat of an anachronism , as many believed Steinbrenner made

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2496-924: The World Series to the Florida Marlins , denying Steinbrenner—who had won the Stanley Cup in June of that year as part-owner of the New Jersey Devils —the distinction of winning championships in two major sports leagues in the same year. In 2008, the Yankees ended their postseason run with a third-place finish in the American League East . However, in 2009, the Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in

2574-499: The World Series to win a 27th championship, seven of which had been won under Steinbrenner's ownership. Steinbrenner named Steve Swindal , his son-in-law, to be his successor in June 2005. When Swindal and Jennifer Steinbrenner divorced in 2007, the Yankees bought Swindal out of his financial stake in the team, with Hal Steinbrenner succeeding Swindal as chairman of Yankee Global Enterprises . From 2006 to his death, Steinbrenner spent most of his time in Tampa, Florida . After

2652-694: The 1963-64 NBA season with the Pipers playing the New York Knicks in the first game. Steinbrenner and partner George McKean fell behind in payments to the NBA and the deal was cancelled. After Steinbrenner unsuccessfully petitioned to get the National Basketball Association to accept his team the following year, the Pipers disbanded. After the ABL folded, Steinbrenner had $ 125,000 in debts and personal losses of $ 2 million. Lucas did not play in any ABL games. Pipers players include

2730-506: The 2007 season and the decision not to bring back manager Joe Torre , Steinbrenner was in poor enough health that he officially retired and handed control of the Yankees to his sons Hal and Hank Steinbrenner . The transition was formally completed in 2008. After ceding day-to-day control of the team, Steinbrenner made few public appearances and gave no interviews. Associates and family members refused to comment on rampant speculation concerning his declining health, specifically rumors that he

2808-437: The 63 living Hall of Famers. In subsequent occasional visits to spring training, regular-season games, and other outings, he used a wheelchair. On April 13, 2010, Derek Jeter and Joe Girardi privately presented the first 2009 World Series Championship ring to Steinbrenner in his stadium suite. He was "almost speechless", according to reports. Steinbrenner's estimated net worth was $ 1.15 billion in 2009 according to

2886-574: The Denver-Chicago Truckers at Cleveland Arena and won the game. The Truckers, like the above mentioned industrial teams, were part of the NIBL, and the Pipers were soon asked to join that circuit as their eighth team for the 1959–60 season. The Ed Sweeny Cleveland Pipers went 16–16 in the 1959–60 NIBL campaign, which was won again by the league's long-running power, the Phillips 66ers of Bartlesville, OK. They also hosted and played in

2964-456: The NBA's Syracuse Nationals and had been offered a new contract worth $ 11,500 for the season, but his signing led to another legal dispute. On September 25, the same day that the Pipers began their preseason training camp, the Nationals announced plans to file a temporary restraining order to prevent Barnett from playing for the Pipers. Syracuse cited the fact that the contract gave the team

3042-780: The Silver Shield Foundation," said Foundation's Co-founder James E. Fuchs, a close friend of Mr. Steinbrenner's. He often donated to the families of fallen police officers in the Tampa Police Department and the New York City Police Department in addition to college scholarships for many poor children. During the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, Steinbrenner comforted United States Olympic Swimming medalist Ron Karnaugh through his father's death and maintained

3120-666: The Steinbrenners' children eventually got divorced, some multiple times, resulting in several former-in-laws being removed from the Yankees' management. While studying at Ohio State, he served as a graduate assistant to Buckeye football coach Woody Hayes . The Buckeyes were undefeated national champions that year, and won the Rose Bowl . Steinbrenner served as an assistant football coach at Northwestern University in 1955, and at Purdue University from 1956 to 1957. Steinbrenner joined Kinsman Marine Transit Company in 1957,

3198-465: The Yankees announced that players and coaches would wear a Steinbrenner commemorative patch on the left breast of their home and road uniforms, and a Bob Sheppard commemorative patch on the left arm. July 15 marked the Yankees' first home game at Yankee Stadium after both the All-Star break and Steinbrenner's passing. Prior to the game, the team presented a mural above the right-center field bleachers in

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3276-421: The Yankees in the hands of the baseball operations staff and rarely interfered. He officially retired from day-to-day control of the team in 2008. He died after suffering a heart attack in his Tampa home on the morning of July 13, 2010, the day of the 81st All-Star Game . The Yankees are now owned by Yankee Global Enterprises , for which Steinbrenner's four children have served as general partners. Steinbrenner

3354-591: The Yankees, caps removed, were standing at attention for the National Anthem , Steinbrenner, in the owner's box next to the New York dugout , noticed that several players' hair was too long for his standards. As he did not yet know the players' names, he wrote down the uniform numbers of the offenders ( Thurman Munson , Bobby Murcer , and Sparky Lyle ), and had the list, along with the demand that their hair be trimmed immediately, delivered to Houk. The order

3432-604: The city was not a college basketball hotbed, and pro basketball, such as the then-struggling NBA, was not yet strong in the city. The city's various sponsored industrial teams and local high school action therefore dominated then. In 1958, the Sweeny Pipers won their league and they were then invited to join the nine-team Greater Cleveland Muny League, the top league in the city, for the 1958–59 season. Opponents included Bruscino Construction, Carney Auditors, Blepp-Coombs, and Cotton Club Beverage. The Sweeny team went 28–0 to win

3510-500: The first time with basketball's Cleveland Pipers , of the National Industrial Basketball League (NIBL). Steinbrenner had hired John McClendon , who became the first African American coach in professional basketball and persuaded Jerry Lucas to join his team instead of the rival National Basketball Association . The Pipers switched leagues, to the new professional ABL in 1961; the new circuit

3588-565: The following: FIRST HALF Record: 10-5 ; Home: 5-1 ; Road: 4-4; Neutral: 1-1 Record: 9-12 ; Home: 5-4 ; Road: 3-5 ; Neutral: 1-3 Record: 7-8 ; Home: 4-2 ; Road: 2-5 ; Neutral: 1-1 ABL FIRST HALF PLAYOFFS SECOND HALF Record: 9-6 ; Home: 5-3 ; Road: 1-3 ; Neutral: 3-0 Record: 10-5 ; Home: 8-0 ; Road: 1-4 ; Neutral: 1-1 ABL QUARTERFINALS ABL FINALS George Steinbrenner George Michael Steinbrenner III (July 4, 1930 – July 13, 2010)

3666-476: The franchise to Burke if he could find financial backing. Steinbrenner, who had participated in a failed attempt to buy the Cleveland Indians from Vernon Stouffer one year earlier, and who had been an investor in Buffalo's failed 1969 Major League Baseball expansion bid, was brought together with Burke by veteran baseball executive Gabe Paul . On January 3, 1973, Steinbrenner and minority partner Burke led

3744-459: The group for the Yankees was, therefore, $ 8.8 million. The announced intention was that Burke would continue to run the team as club president. But Burke later became angry when he found out that Paul had been brought in as a senior Yankee executive, reducing his authority, and quit the team presidency in April 1973. (Burke remained a minority owner of the club into the following decade, but as fellow minority owner John McMullen stated, "There

3822-499: The help of a loan from a New York bank, Steinbrenner purchased the company from his family. He later became part of a group that purchased the American Shipbuilding Company , and, in 1967, he became its chairman and chief executive officer. By 1972, the company's gross sales were more than $ 100 million annually. In 1960, against his father's wishes, Steinbrenner entered the sports franchise business for

3900-643: The late owner's honor while closer Mariano Rivera laid a bouquet of flowers on home plate. The Steinbrenner family added a monument to Monument Park on September 20, 2010, to honor Steinbrenner. He is buried at Trinity Memorial Gardens in Trinity, Florida . In addition to being an intense boss to his on-field employees, Steinbrenner was also known for pressuring and changing off-field employees (including various publicity directors), sometimes chewing them out in public. Longtime Cardinals announcer Jack Buck once said that he had seen Steinbrenner's yacht and that, "It

3978-508: The league in 1959. The team had strong local connections, with Cleary, coach Tom Nolan a former John Carroll University star, and guard John Hollis. Their first big star was 6'6" Cornelius 'Corney' Freeman, a former top scorer on Xavier's 1957 NIT team. Sweeny also hosted several national industrial powers during the 58–59 season including Wichita Vickers, Akron Goodyear and the Seattle Buchan Bakers. His Pipers lost them all,

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4056-655: The league's short history. Steinbrenner got his start in professional sports ownership with the Pipers, which he entered into the new ABL. The team's precarious financial situation was such that its home games took place in eight different arenas and gyms. These ranged from the team's primary homes at either Cleveland Public Hall or the Cleveland Arena to local colleges such as Baldwin-Wallace College , to high school facilities in Ashtabula, Lorain and Sandusky, and as far south as Columbus. Upon his hiring, McClendon

4134-551: The legal option to maintain Barnett's rights, while Cleveland's legal team focused on the case of another ABL player, Kenny Sears . He had played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA, but then signed a deal to play for the ABL's San Francisco Saints . The Nationals obtained that temporary restraining order on October 23, less than two weeks before the start of the regular season. The situation remained unresolved for

4212-470: The name Kinsman Stable . Steinbrenner gave to many charitable causes. In 1982, George, "while attending the funeral of a police officer killed in the line of duty, was deeply moved by the ceremony in which the American flag was folded military-style and presented to the officer's surviving spouse and young children". "He was concerned about their education and who would help with the cost, so he established

4290-553: The newspapers. However, he was known to be upset with the sometimes blunt commentary of former broadcaster Jim Kaat and former analyst Tony Kubek . The 1986 World Series was called "Steinbrenner's nightmare", because it was a showdown between two of the Yankees' biggest rivals, their cross-town rival the New York Mets and their most hated rival , the Boston Red Sox . As a result, Steinbrenner wrote articles in

4368-662: The next season until the league folded on December 31, 1962. The ABL was the first basketball league to have a three point shot for baskets scored far away from the goal. Other rules that set the league apart were a 30-second shooting clock and a wider free throw lane , 18 feet instead of the standard 12. The American Basketball League was formed when Abe Saperstein did not get the Los Angeles National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise he sought. His Harlem Globetrotters had strong NBA ties. When Minneapolis Lakers owner Bob Short

4446-428: The next two months, with Barnett unable to either play or practice with the Pipers. Eventually, the Nationals won a permanent injunction, but agreed to release Barnett from their deal after a handshake agreement between Steinbrenner and Syracuse general manager Dick Biasone. After a strong recruiting pitch that lasted for more than a month, Steinbrenner officially signed Ohio State University All-American Jerry Lucas to

4524-642: The series ended in a decisive Game 5 loss to the Seattle Mariners. He also fired Michael from the GM spot after the season ended. Three days after firing Showalter on October 31, rankled by the angry responses by fans, he attempted to woo him back (while presumably moving Joe Torre to a desk job rather than the manager position). Showalter elected to honor the word he gave to the Arizona Diamondbacks and thus Steinbrenner went with Torre to manage

4602-539: The statement following the 1981 World Series . Part of that comment later led Ken Griffey Jr. to list the Yankees as one team for which he would never play. In 2001, Winfield cited Steinbrenner's animosity as a factor in his decision to enter the Hall of Fame as a representative of his first team, the San Diego Padres , rather than the team that increased his national recognition, the Yankees. Steinbrenner

4680-422: The subsequent legal wrangling prevented the Yankees from hiring him. On the first anniversary of the team's ownership change, the Yankees hired former Pittsburgh Pirates manager Bill Virdon to lead the team on the field. There is nothing in life quite so limited as being a limited partner of George Steinbrenner. —Yankees minority owner John McMullen During the 1981 World Series , Steinbrenner provided

4758-482: The team to Columbus. On September 14, Ben Flieger of the Cleveland Press was named the team's new general manager. He replaced Cleary, who had left the position for the rival Kansas City Steers . Prior to the start of the facility controversy continued, McClendon signed his former Tennessee State star, Dick Barnett , on August 16 to a one-year contract for $ 13,000. Barnett had completed his second year with

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4836-514: The team. In 1996, the Yankees beat the Atlanta Braves in six games to win the World Series . They went on to Series wins in 1998 , 1999 , and 2000 , and fell short of a fourth straight title in 2001 with a seventh-game loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks . The Yankees then made the playoffs every season through 2007. In 2003 , they beat the Boston Red Sox to win the AL pennant, but lost

4914-825: The then-young Steinbrenner, who folded the team just months later. Even early on, Steinbrenner was meddlesome and irrepressible. Basketball lore indicates that at halftime of the November 22, 1961 game against the Hawaii Chiefs , he sold player Grady McCollum to the Chiefs at halftime. The team sponsored by Ed Sweeny Co started in the Industrial A League. Opponents included Cleveland Twist Drill, East Ohio Gas and White Motors in this small eight-team division. AAU and industrial basketball were popular in Cleveland then, as

4992-472: The venture, but Steinbrenner paid off all of his creditors and partners over the next few years. With his burgeoning sports aspirations put on hold, Steinbrenner turned his attention to the theatre. His involvement with Broadway began with a short-lived 1967 play, The Ninety Day Mistress , in which he partnered with another rookie producer, James M. Nederlander . Whereas Nederlander threw himself into his family's business full-time, Steinbrenner invested in

5070-463: The way to Mayor Rudy Giuliani to ensure he was able to watch the broadcasts from his room. Steinbrenner had also donated $ 1 million to St. Joseph's Children's Hospital where a wing was named in his honor. Steinbrenner donated to numerous senators and representatives including $ 6,300 to Chuck Schumer , $ 9,600 to Charles Rangel , $ 1,000 to Peter W. Rodino , and $ 750 to George J. Mitchell . In 1988 and 1992 he supported George H. W. Bush . In

5148-485: Was a beautiful thing to observe, with all 36 oars working in unison." Former sportscaster Hank Greenwald , who called Yankee games on WABC radio for two years, once said he knew when Steinbrenner was in town by how tense the office staff was. Steinbrenner usually kept his complaints about the team broadcasters he approved of (except for the YES Network crew, who have generally not been his direct employees) out of

5226-463: Was able to convince a former college player he had coached, Dick Barnett, to jump from the NBA's Syracuse Nationals to the Pipers. Then, after the team's first season, Steinbrenner signed Ohio State University All-American Jerry Lucas . In the latter case, the signing enraged the rival National Basketball Association (NBA), which attempted to lure Steinbrenner and the Pipers into jumping leagues. The mounting debts and costs of that move proved too much for

5304-470: Was also involved in the Great Lakes and Gulf Coast shipping industry. Originally known as a very hands-on owner, Steinbrenner earned the nickname " the Boss ". He had a tendency to meddle in daily on-field decisions, and to hire and fire (and sometimes re-hire) managers. Former Yankees manager Dallas Green gave him the derisive nickname "Manager George". However, from the early 1990s onward, he mostly left

5382-447: Was an American businessman who was the principal owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball 's New York Yankees from 1973 until his death in 2010. He was the longest-serving owner in club history, and the Yankees won seven World Series championships and 11 American League pennants under his ownership. His outspokenness and role in driving up player salaries made him one of the sport's most controversial figures. Steinbrenner

5460-479: Was an average student who led an active extracurricular life. He was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He was an accomplished hurdler on the varsity track and field team, and served as sports editor of The Williams Record , played piano in the band, and played halfback on the football team in his senior year. He joined the United States Air Force after graduation, was commissioned

5538-536: Was born in Rocky River, Ohio , the only son of Rita (née Haley) and Henry George Steinbrenner II. His mother was an Irish immigrant who had changed her name from O'Haley to Haley. His father was of German descent and was a world-class track and field hurdler while at Massachusetts Institute of Technology , from which he graduated in engineering in 1927, first in his class and a distinguished scholar in naval architecture . The elder Steinbrenner later became

5616-636: Was founded by Abe Saperstein , owner of the Harlem Globetrotters . The league and its teams experienced financial problems, and McClendon resigned in protest halfway through the season. However, the Pipers had won the first half of a split season. Steinbrenner replaced McClendon with former Boston Celtics star Bill Sharman , and the Pipers won the ABL championship in 1961–62. The ABL folded in December 1962, just months into its second season. Steinbrenner and his partners lost significant money on

5694-412: Was later purchased by the ambitious young George Steinbrenner , then a 30 year-old son of a Cleveland trading company owner. General Manager Mike Cleary later hired John McLendon , the first African American head coach in professional basketball, to lead the squad. Playing under coach John McLendon, and later coach Bill Sharman, the team won the league's 1961-62 championship, the only full-season title in

5772-905: Was permitted to move the Lakers to Los Angeles, Saperstein reacted by convincing National Alliance of Basketball Leagues (NABL) team owner Paul Cohen (Tuck Tapers) and Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) National Champion Cleveland Pipers owner George Steinbrenner to take the top NABL and AAU teams and players and form a rival league. League franchises were: the Chicago Majors (1961–1963); Cleveland Pipers (1961–1962); Kansas City Steers (1961–63); Long Beach Chiefs (1961–1963), as Hawaii Chiefs in 1961–62; Los Angeles Jets (1961–62, disbanded during season); Oakland Oaks (1961–1963, as San Francisco Saints in 1961–1962; Philadelphia Tapers 1961–1963, as Washington Tapers in 1961–62; moved to New York during 1961–62 season; as New York Tapers in 1961–62 and

5850-497: Was reinstated in 1993. Unlike past years, he was somewhat less inclined to interfere in the Yankees' baseball operations. He left day-to-day baseball matters in the hands of Gene Michael and other executives and allowed promising farm-system players such as Bernie Williams to develop instead of trading them for established players. Steinbrenner's having "got religion" (in the words of New York Daily News reporter Bill Madden) paid off. After contending only briefly two years earlier,

5928-426: Was reluctantly relayed to the players. In 1983, at Steinbrenner's behest, Yankee coach Yogi Berra ordered Goose Gossage to remove a beard he was growing. Gossage responded by shaving away the beard but leaving a thick exaggerated mustache extending down the upper lip to the jaw line, a look Gossage still sports to this day. The most infamous incident involving facial hair occurred in 1991. Although Steinbrenner

6006-561: Was suffering from Alzheimer's disease . A 2007 interviewer said: "He doesn't look all right. In fact, he looks dreadful. His body is bloated; his jawline has slackened into a triple chin; his skin looks as if a dry-cleaner bag has been stretched over it. Steinbrenner's face, pale and swollen, has a curiously undefined look. His features seem frozen in a permanent rictus of careworn disbelief." The Yankees went to great lengths to prevent anyone outside Steinbrenner's immediate family and closest business associates from speaking to him, or even getting

6084-410: Was suspended, Yankees management ordered Don Mattingly , who was then sporting a mullet -like hairstyle, to get a haircut. When Mattingly refused, he was benched. This led to a huge media frenzy with reporters and talk radio repeatedly mocking the team. The WPIX broadcasting crew of Phil Rizzuto , Bobby Murcer , and Tom Seaver lampooned the policy on a pregame show with Rizzuto playing the role of

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