Larry Dolan

Lawrence J. "Larry" Dolan (born February 8, 1931 in Cleveland Heights, Ohio) is a retired attorney and the principal owner of Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians.

Biography

Education

Dolan attended St. Ignatius High School and got his LL.B. degree from University of Notre Dame in 1956.^[1] He also received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Cleveland State University.^[2]

Professional career

Upon leaving Notre Dame, Larry served in the United States Marine Corps for two years where he attained the rank of First Lieutenant. Upon leaving the Marine Corps in 1958, Larry worked as Assistant Prosecutor in Geauga County, Ohio before going into private practice. He eventually became president and managing partner of Thrasher, Dinsmore, & Dolan in Chardon, Ohio.

Cleveland Indians owner

In 2000, Dolan (through a family trust) bought the Cleveland Indians of the MLB for $323 million from Richard Jacobs, who, along with his late brother David Jacobs, had paid $35 million for the club in 1986. Jacobs had taken the Indians public in 1997. As part of the deal, Dolan bought all of the stock at just over twelve dollars a share, making the franchise privately held once again.^[3] During his time as owner, the Indians have experienced periods of competitiveness, including playoff appearances in 2007 and 2013, as well as periods without success, including several seasons with over 90 losses. While the Indians' player salaries were among the highest in Major League Baseball during Jacobs' last years as owner, at times they have been among the lowest under Dolan.^[4] This has led some fans to regard Dolan as miserly,^[5] although other fans dispute the reputation.^[6]

In 2006 he started SportsTime Ohio to air Indians games. Larry Dolan has six children; among them are Matt who was a State Representative, and Paul who worked for his law firm and was since named as President, and later Chairman/CEO of the Indians. Dolan has said his children will eventually assume ownership of the Cleveland Indians in his stead. In 2012, STO was sold to Fox Entertainment Group.

His nephew James L. Dolan owns the New York Knicks of the NBA and the New York Rangers of the NHL.

He has three brothers: Charles; Bill (retired and living in Fort Myers, Florida) and; David who died in a glider plane crash in 1980.

Awards and honors

(as Indians owner)

• Two-time American League Central Division Champion - 2001, 2007
• Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame inductee (class of 2014)^[7]

References

1. ^ Larry Dolan| Cleveland Indians Baseball | Cleveland Seniors Profile
2. ^ Cleveland State University News Releases
3. ^ Details of Dolan Family ownership - Sports Business Daily.com
4. ^ Roth, Phil. "MLB Past and Future Payrolls". Retrieved April 18, 2015. 
5. ^  
6. ^ Dery, Todd (April 8, 2015). "How the Indians Were Built Through a Series of Nifty Trades". Cleveland Scene. Retrieved April 18, 2015. 
7. ^ Cleveland sports HOF class of 2014 - Cleveland Sports Hall.com