A profile and timeline of George Steinbrenner, owner of the New York Yankees:
VITAL STATISTICS
Born: July 4, 1930
Died: July 13, 2010
Hometown: Rocky River, Ohio
Education: BA in English at Williams College, Williamstown, Mass. Member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.
BEFORE HE WAS OWNER
- Ran the hurdles at Williams College and once competed in the Penn Relays.
- Was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Air Force after graduation.
- Received a master's degree in physical education at The Ohio State University in 1955, and was a graduate assistant under Woody Hayes on the Buckeyes' 1954 national championship team.
- Was an assistant football coach at Northwestern in 1955 and 1956.
- Purchased the Cleveland Pipers, an ABL basketball team, in 1960. The league went out of business in 1962.
- Helped run the family's Cleveland-based shipping business starting in 1957.
- Failed in an attempt with a group to buy the Cleveland Indians in 1971.
TIMELINE AS NEW YORK YANKEES OWNER
Jan. 3, 1973: Steinbrenner and minority parner E. Michael Burke buy the New York Yankees for $8.8 million.
April 19, 1973: Steinbrenner names Gabe Paul team president.
April 5, 1974: Steinbrenner is convicted on 14 criminal counts for illegal contributions to Richard Nixon's re-election campaing and was fined $15,000. Was suspended for 15 months by baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn.
Nov. 27, 1974: Yankees sign their first free agent, pitcher Catfish Hunter, to a five-year, $3.75 million contract that was the richest in baseball at the time.
1976: Steinbrenner returns, and the Yankees win their first pennant since 1964 under manager Billy Martin.
Nov. 29, 1976: Yankees sign Reggie Jackson to a five-year, $3 million contract.
Oct. 18, 1977: Jackson hits three home runs in Game 6 of the World Series against the Dodgers, and the Yankees win their first World Series in 15 years.
July 24, 1978: After a fight with Steinbrenner, Billy Martin resigns as manager for the first time, replaced by Bob Lemon.
July 29, 1978: It's announced that Martin will return as manager in 1980.
Oct. 2, 1978: The Yankees win a one-game playoff for the AL East title at Fenway Park in Boston, winning a one-game playoff on Bucky Dent's home run. The Yankees trailed by 14 games in midseason.
Oct. 17, 1978: Yankees repeat as World Series champions, beating the Dodgers in six games.
Late 1970s: Appears in Miller Lite TV ads that poke fun at his frequent firing and hiring of Martin.
June 18, 1979: Steinbrenner rehires Billy Martin for his second stint as manager.
Aug. 1, 1979: Yankees captain Thurman Munson is killed in a plane crash in his hometown of Canton, Ohio.
After 1979 season: Martin is fired for a second time after he gets into a fight with a marshmallow salesman in Minneapolis. Dick Howser is named manager.
Dec. 15, 1980: Steinbrenner signs free agent Dave Winfield to a record 10-year, $17 million contract.
1981: Gene Michael is named manager. He lasts 82 games, then is replaced by Bob Lemon in September of a strike-shortened season.
Oct. 25, 1981: The Yankees make the World Series against the Dodgers. Steinbrenner has a fight in a Dodger Stadium elevator with two Dodgers fans, injuring his hand, after Game 5. The Yankees lose in six games, and Steinbrenner issues a public apology for the team's play.
1982: Steinbrenner goes through three managers: Lemon (14 games), Michael (86 games) and Clyde King (62 games). The Yankees finish fifth in the AL East.
1983: Billy Martin returns for his third stint as manager.
April 19, 1983: Steinbrenner is fined $50,000 by Kuhn for remarks questioning the integrity of umpire Lee Weyer.
July 3, 1983: Steinbrenner is fined $5,000 by the commissioner after remarks about White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf.
May 31, 1983: Steinbrenner is suspended for one week by American League president Lee MacPhail for questioning the integrity of umpires Darryl Cousins and John Shulock.
After 1983 season: Billy Martin is fired, replaced by Yogi Berra.
Dec. 23, 1983: Steinbrenner is fined $250,000 by Kuhn and ordered to pay $50,000 in legal fees because of Steinbrenner’s actions and statements regarding the “Pine Tar” game with George Brett and the Kansas City Royals.
April 28, 1985: Martin returns for his fifth stint as manager after Steinbrenner fires Berra. He sends Clyde King to fire Berra, causing a rift with Berra that lasted almost two decades. Martin is fired again after the season.
September 1985: Steinbrenner, mad at Dave Winfield, calls the outfielder "Mr. May."
June 23, 1987: After two seasons under Lou Piniella, Martin takes over for a fifth and final time. The Yankees finish in fourth place.
1988: Steinbrenner becomes the first owner to sell cable television rights, to the Madison Square Garden Network. MSG pays the Yankees an average of $55 million per season through 2001, a deal that paves the way for other teams to have lucrative cable deals that fuel an explosion in player salaries and ownership profit throughout the majors.
Dec. 25, 1989: Martin dies in an automobile accident at age 61.
Jan. 19, 1989: Steinbrenner's conviction in the Nixon case is pardoned by outgoing president Ronald Reagan.
July 5, 1990: Is fined $25,000 by commissioner Fay Vincent and ordered to pay $200,000 to the Angels for tampering with the trade of Winfield to California.
July 30, 1990: Vincent suspends Steinbrenner for life after evidence is found that the owner paid gambler Howie Spira $40,000 to unearth information about Winfield, who had sued Steinbrenner for failing to pay his foundation.
October 20, 1990: In perhaps the first remake of his public image, Steinbrenner hosts NBC's "Saturday Night Live." In the opening sketch, he dreams of a Yankees team managed, coached, and entirely played by himself.
