Carl Pohlad

Carl Ray Pohlad (August 23, 1915 – January 5, 2009) was an American financier and the owner of the Minnesota Twins baseball franchise from 1984 (succeeding Calvin Griffith) until his death in 2009.

In 2009, Pohlad had an estimated net worth of $3.6 billion, placing him No. 102 on the annual Forbes 400 list of the wealthiest Americans.

Carl Pohlad was born on August 23, 1915 in Des Moines, Iowa, to poor parents of Slovak descent, Mary M. (Sodak) and Michael Pohlad. He grew up in West Des Moines, Iowa and graduated from Valley High School in West Des Moines in 1934. He attended and played football for Compton Junior College in Southern California for a short time. Bing Crosby saw him play football and recruited him to play for his alma mater, Gonzaga University in Washington. Pohlad attended Gonzaga but dropped out after the football season of his senior year.

Pohlad was drafted in World War II and served from 1943 to 1946. During his service, he fought in Europe, spending time in France, Germany, and Austria. Pohlad was scheduled to participate in the Normandy Invasion (D-Day), but a case of poison oak kept him out of the invasion's early stages. He was wounded in battle, and was awarded the Purple Heart and a Bronze Star Medal.

After the war he returned to Iowa, married Mary Eloise O'Rourke Pohlad and later moved to Edina, Minnesota. Eloise died in 2003. They had three sons during their 56-year marriage: James, Robert, and William, who all serve as Executive Board Members of the Minnesota Twins.

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