Posted on 02/10/2017 4:20:25 PM PST by xp38
Mike Ilitch, the owner of the Detroit Tigers and Red Wings, died Friday at age 87, his representatives confirmed.
"My father was a once-in-a-generation entrepreneur, visionary and leader, setting the tone for our organization and our family," Ilitch's son Christopher, the president and CEO of Ilitch Holdings Inc., said in a statement released by the company. "He made such a positive impact in the world of sports, in business and in the community, and we will remember him for his unwavering commitment to his employees, his passion for Detroit, his generosity to others and his devotion to his family and friends."
(Excerpt) Read more at espn.com ...
RIP.
As my dingy friend said in a cemetery....”WOW....that RIP family has a LOT of family buried here”!!!
Been a Red Wings fan since the mid 1980s. RIP Mike, you helped bring Stanley Cups and overall dignity back to a franchise that had become known as the Dead Things by the mid to late 1970s era. His daughter Denise is on “Michigan Matters” often as well.
RIP.
Too bad he didn’t buy the Lions also while he was at it.
RIP
Tigers will be reporting here soon. He’ll be missed.
He’s a Marine and spoke at our university one time. Pro American and a proud one. Even spoke on how to properly hold a Garand rifle and this was a business school. Thank you Sir for your speech to us.
I just wish he had stayed with Old Tiger Stadium and made some upgrades to the old gal instead of building the new stadium. There isn’t a good seat in the new place.
No one has ever recreated pizza so many ways.
God Bless Mike and his family! And God Speed Mike on to Heaven!
RIP Mr. Ilitch
Mike is a great example of success in America.
Awww, He wanted to win a World Series in the worst way, huge payroll, great stadium, took care of his players like a family. He has sponsored winning teams in the Detroit area almost all my life. Sent Kids to Europe to play in hockey tournaments as Little Caesers teams. Sponsored the best Softball from the Detroit area, later had a pro softball team called Little Caesers. Finally got his pro team, The Detroit Red Wings, Ten finally his Detroit Tigers. Got him to the World Series twice, but alas, no title. Rest on Peace, you were wonderful for sports in the Detroit area.
Met him through a relative... Mr. I was a really great guy that did a lot for the City of Detroit. Wish he could have gotten that World Series ring.
wow! that’s quite the life... Pizza , pizza... his commercials are funny...
Prolly ett wun uv his pizzers!
Comerica Park is awful...from the outside, it looks like its not finished...plastic tigers with light up eyes when a home run is hit....charging kids 2 dollars to ride that annoying “baseball” ferris wheel. Should have just built a replica of Tiger Stadium. I remember that last game there..people from out of town saying “i cant believe you are tearing this place down”. He did invest in the city big time...just should have done a better job with that stadium. The Tigers are a storied franchise ...114 years old...dont need plastic tigers lighting up.
Tiger Stadium (Joker Marchant) in Lakeland just added outfield seats. What a great stadium! The Tigers have been here since 1934.
Visited the old field a couple years ago. It felt awesome to stand on the pitchers mound were The Bird pitched. Ilitch just let it fall apart so he could move the team to a new stadium. I heard a statement about Comerica, “There isn’t a bad seat in the park, there isn’t a good one either.”
Thank you Mr. I....RIP.
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Non-sports fans might want to know he owned the tigers and Red Wings because he founded Little Caesars. ESPN couldn’t not that little factoid.
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