The baseball world lost a highly influential man and a positive figure in Cleveland sports history on Monday.
Larry Dolan, owner of the Cleveland Guardians, passed away.
“Larry Dolan, #Guardians owner who purchased the club in 2000 and made the Dolan family the longest tenured owners in franchise history, has died at the age of 94,” Camryn Justice reported via X.
Larry Dolan, #Guardians owner who purchased the club in 2000 and made the Dolan family the longest tenured owners in franchise history, has died at the age of 94.
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) February 24, 2025
Born in 1931, Dolan was an attorney but is probably best known for acquiring the Guardians (then Cleveland Indians) in 2000.
He also founded SportsTime Ohio.
Dolan’s son Paul is currently the team’s part-owner, chairman, and chief executive officer (CEO).
He has been the primary control person since 2013.
Baseball and sports in general, as you can see, is a big thing within the family.
The elder Dolan had acquired the Guardians for $323 million from Richard Jacobs.
While he earned a reputation as a ‘cheap’ owner who promoted low payrolls every year, Cleveland was highly competitive for stretches during his tenure, including making the 2007 American League Championship Series and the entire 2010s decade, which included a World Series appearance in 2016.
Since 2001, the Guardians have won seven AL Central titles and Larry Dolan had a huge influence in some of them.
Dolan had six children and three brothers.
He is a Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame inductee (class of 2014) and earned respect and admiration in multiple fields, not just baseball.
He was born and raised in Cleveland, and died in the same place.
The Guardians called his time with the team, in a statement, “the longest and one of the most successful tenures in franchise history.”
“Cleveland sadly lost one of their own last night,” said Bob DiBiasio, senior vice president of public affairs of the Guardians per FOX 8 Cleveland. “Mr. Dolan invested his entire life in Greater Cleveland and impacted our community on so many levels (…) We are forever grateful for his passion in supporting the Northeast Ohio community and our franchise; through his initial leadership the Dolan family continues to be the longest tenured owners in franchise history.”
Dolan’s legacy in the city of Cleveland is undeniable.
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