AllMovie

Factsheet

• Standout track star in high school and college.
• Served as a graduate assistant to legendary Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes while earning his second degree.
• Assistant football coach at Northwestern University and at Purdue University from 1955 to '57.
• Encouraged to enter the family business by his father, Henry, a Great Lakes shipping tycoon; later became chairman of the Cleveland-based firm known as the American Shipbuilding Company. 
• First sports investment was that of the Cleveland Pipers, an AAU basketball team of the now-defunct ABL; outbid NBA teams for the rights to future Hall of Famer Jerry Lucas.
• Other early investments include purchasing 11 percent of the Chicago Bulls, buying a thoroughbred-racing stable and making a stake in the Broadway musical Applause.
• Was close to purchasing the Cleveland Indians when the deal collapsed at the last moment; soon after that he made a bid for the Yankees.  
• Originally bought the Yankees for $10 million in 1973 with other investors.
• Indicted and found guilty of making illegal campaign contributions to CREEP, Richard Nixon's re-election committee, and served a 15-month suspension from Major League Baseball; later pardoned by then-president Ronald Reagan for the offense. 
• Nicknamed "The Boss" for his overbearing management style; went through 20 different managers during his first 23 seasons with the Yankees.
• Longest-tenured owner in Yankees history, reigning from 1973 to 2008 and earning 10 American League pennants and six World Series titles.  
• Passed away just days after his 80th birthday due to a heart attack.