Cleveland Guardians owner Larry Dolan has died at the age of 94, the club announced on Monday.
A Cleveland native, Dolan has owned the Guardians franchise since he purchased it from Richard E. Jacobs in February of 2000 for a reported sale price of $323 million. The franchise today is estimated to be worth $1.35 billion.
“Cleveland sadly lost one of their own last night,” Bob DiBiasio, Guardians head of public affairs, said in a statement. “Mr. Dolan invested his entire life in Greater Cleveland and impacted our community on so many levels. From his service to our country as a First Lieutenant in the United States Marines, his many philanthropic acts of kindness, career in law, business, education, and sports, many benefited from his engagement, influence, and passion. Especially in the world of sports. 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.”
“We are saddened by the loss of our Dad, but lucky to have him as part of our lives as long as we did,” Guardians owner and CEO Paul Dolan, son of Larry Dolan, said in a statement. “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.”
The early years of Dolan’s tenure were marked by steep payroll reductions from the peak years under former general manager John Hart, whose Cleveland teams of the 1990s were regularly among the best in baseball and trotted out some of the greatest offenses of the modern era. Eventually, though, Dolan’s emphasis on rebuilding the farm system and player-development program bore fruit. Dolan’s tenure as owner will also be remembered for the gradual de-emphasis of the “Chief Wahoo” logo and a move away from the use of Native American imagery in team branding. The transition was completed following the 2021 season, when the Cleveland Indians became the Cleveland Guardians.
As for on-the-field matters, the franchise has enjoyed a sustained run of success in recent years. Since Dolan purchased the team, the Guardians made nine postseason appearances, including a run to the World Series in 2016 and a division title last season. For the past 12 seasons (2013-2024), the Guardians have the third-most wins in all of Major League Baseball with 1,013. Just the Dodgers with 1,129 and the Yankees with 1,034 have more over that span.
“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,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “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. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Paul Dolan and the entire Dolan family.”
