Bill Veeck

At 71 years old, Bill Veeck has this physical status:

William Louis Veeck Jr. (February 9, 1914 – January 2, 1986), also known as "Sport Shirt," was an American Major League Baseball franchise owner and promoter.

Veeck was at various times the owner of the Cleveland Indians, the St. Louis Browns, and the Chicago White Sox.

Veeck signed Larry Doby, the Indians' owner and team president, in 1947, kicking off the American League's integration, and the following year, the Cleveland owner/president won a World Series title. Veeck was the first owner to buy a baseball franchise without an affiliate, and he was responsible for many innovations and contributions to baseball during the 1980 Chicago White Sox season.

In 1991, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Early life

Bill Veeck was born in Chicago, Illinois, on February 9, 1914. Although Veeck was growing up in Hinsdale, Illinois, his father, William Veeck Sr., became president of the Chicago Cubs. Veeck Sr., a local sports writer who wrote several columns about how he might have run the Cubs differently, was approached by the team's owner, William Wrigley Jr., who refused to participate in the implied bid. While rising, Veeck served as a popcorn vendor for the Cubs and also as a part-time concessionsman for the Chicago White Sox. He suggested that ivy be planted on the walls of Wrigley Field in 1937. Veeck attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, growing up. Veeck left Kenyon College and became the Cubs' club treasurer in 1933. Eleanor, he married his first wife in 1935.

Life after baseball

Veeck sold the White Sox in 1981, but not without controversy, as his first pick in Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. (owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins) was disapproved by a board (eight votes in favor with ten required to pass). Veeck sold the team to Jerry Reinsdorf (and partner Eddie Einhorn) for $20 million. Veeck expressed his allegiance to the Chicago Cubs when Einhorn said he wanted to make the White Sox a "high-class operation," despite the fact that the team's father played in his youth (notice: when the White Sox won the 2005 World Series, the Veeck family received championship rings from the team). In the summer, Veeck returned to Chicago, but Wrigley Field bleachers could be found often. Veeck also wrote occasional articles for magazines and newspapers, mainly focusing on the overall state of baseball.

Source

Awards and honors

• 1948 World Series champion (as owner/president of the Cleveland Indians)
• National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (Class of 1991)
• The Baseball Reliquary's Shrine of the Eternals (class of 1999).
• In 2013, the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award honored Veeck as one of 37 Baseball Hall of Fame members for his service in the United States Marine Corps during World War II.