George Steinbrenner | |
---|---|
Born |
George Michael Steinbrenner III July 4, 1930 Bay Village, Ohio, U.S. |
Died | July 13, 2010 Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
(aged 80)
Cause of death | Heart attack |
Alma mater | Williams College (B.A.), Ohio State University (M.A.) |
Occupation | Owner of New York Yankees (MLB), businessman, investor, entrepreneur |
Years active | 1973–2010 |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Joan Zieg (m.1956–2010; his death) |
Children |
Hank Steinbrenner Hal Steinbrenner Jessica Steinbrenner Jennifer Steinbrenner-Swindal |
Parent(s) | Henry G. Steinbrenner II Rita Haley |
George Michael Steinbrenner III (July 4, 1930 – July 13, 2010) was an American businessman who was the principal owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. During Steinbrenner's 37-year ownership from 1973 to his death in July 2010, the longest in club history, the Yankees earned seven World Series titles and 11 pennants. His outspokenness and role in driving up player salaries made him one of the sport's most controversial figures. Steinbrenner was also involved in the Great Lakes and Gulf Coast shipping industry.
Known as a hands-on baseball executive, 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". 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.
Steinbrenner 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 had been a world-class track and field hurdler while at the 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 a wealthy shipping magnate who ran the family firm operating freight ships hauling ore and grain on the Great Lakes. 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 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."