Larry Dolan, who purchased Cleveland’s baseball franchise a quarter-century ago and whose family guided it through a name change and a heartbreaking loss in the 2016 World Series, died at 94, the team announced Monday.
Dolan purchased the team from Richard E. Jacobs in February 2000, at the tail end of a 455-game sellout streak at Jacobs Field that would end in April 2001. The team would spend its 13 years under Dolan’s control bouncing from 90-win team – they topped that mark four times and made the playoffs twice – to the middle-market struggles they took on, finishing below .500 in eight of those seasons.
In 2013, Dolan turned over control of the club to his son, Paul. In 2016, Cleveland made it to the World Series for the first time since 1997 and took a 3-1 lead over the Chicago Cubs, yet lost the final three games – retaining the longest championship drought in Major League Baseball, dating to 1948.
‘We are saddened by the loss of our Dad, but lucky to have him as part of our lives as long as we did,” Paul Dolan said in a statement on behalf of the family. ‘He was a loving husband, father and grandfather who was passionate about his family, work, our community and his love of our local sports teams, including owning the Cleveland Guardians.’
After decades of public pressure, the team changed its named from the Indians to the Guardians before the 2022 season. The club made the playoffs twice in its three seasons as Guardians, losing to the New York Yankees both times, most recently a 4-1 defeat in the 2024 American League Championship Series.
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The family also oversaw a significant renovation of now-Progressive Field, and the more open, reduced-capacity configuration helped the club land the 2019 All-Star Game.
Dolan bought the club for a reported $323 million in 2000. Its estimated value is now $1.35 billion, according to Forbes.
Said MLB commissioner Rob Manfred: ‘I am saddened by the passing of Cleveland native Larry Dolan, whose family’s quarter-century ownership has made their hometown team a consistent winner and a staple of their community. Larry was a lifelong baseball fan who served our country as a First Lieutenant in the United States Marines. He strongly believed in mentoring young people and using the Guardians as a way to impact greater Cleveland.
‘Larry also served the industry by bringing his professional expertise to the Major League Executive Council and the Ownership Committee, and he served on two labor negotiating committees.’