Guardians owner Larry Dolan, a true fan at heart, dies at 94

Guardians owner Larry Dolan has passed away at the age of 94, the team announced on Monday.

“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. "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.”

Dolan was a native Clevelander with a passion for baseball. When he began his quest to get into ownership of a professional sports team, his favorite club wasn’t on the market. But after a handful of rejections, the perfect opportunity presented itself in 2000 when the then-Cleveland Indians were up for sale from owner Dick Jacobs.

Dolan didn’t hesitate.

He had tried to purchase the Cincinnati Reds and the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, who were just down the road from his future workplace. When most would be considering retirement, Dolan was experimenting with one of his biggest hobbies – at an extreme level -- as he entered his 70s. He landed a dream job: Owning his favorite baseball team.

"The sale of this franchise to Larry Dolan fulfills my strong desire to turn the team over to someone who is deeply committed to Cleveland and its tremendous fans," Jacobs said in an article published by ESPN in 1999. "Larry and his family have the enthusiasm and strongest desire to continue the success of this ballclub well into the new century."

Dolan took charge of an Indians team that had drawn five consecutive years of sellout crowds every night after the ’90s teams brought life back to Cleveland baseball. For the next decade, the club experienced some success as well as various setbacks.

It won the AL Central just twice in the first 11 seasons under Dolan’s reign, posting an 885-897 record in that span. But CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee took home AL Cy Young Awards during that run, and skipper Eric Wedge won Manager of the Year in ’07.

All of this took place solely under Dolan’s watch. It wasn’t until the beginning of 2010 that Dolan revealed he’d be handing his title (chairman and CEO) and most of the everyday duties of his role to his oldest son, Paul, at the conclusion of that season. Paul was the only one of Dolan’s six children to be that closely involved in the baseball team, having previously served as the president of the club before taking the promotion.

“Cleveland sadly lost one of their own last night,” said Bob DiBiasio, Guardians SVP/Public Affairs. “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.”

Lawrence J. Dolan was born on Feb. 8, 1931, in Cleveland Heights. He attended St. Ignatius High School and was the ultimate sports fan. He played baseball and football, but he always preferred the former. He focused on his academics in college, attending the University of Notre Dame, where he received a law degree in 1956. Just shortly after his schooling, Dolan served two years in the U.S. Marine Corps, achieving the rank of first lieutenant.

After his service, Dolan used his law degree to get into private practice. He went on to be the president and managing partner of Thrasher, Dinsmore and Dolan, which was located in Chardon, Ohio. The company is still running today, with his son Matthew representing the family name.

Dolan went from law to ownership when he bought the Indians for $323 million in 2000. Dolan’s goal was to bring a handful of championships to his hometown, which had waited since 1948 to see one. He unfortunately wasn’t able to see that dream come true during his lifetime, but he did watch his team advance all the way to Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, won by the Cubs.

“We are saddened by the loss of our Dad, but lucky to have him as part of our lives as long as we did,” said Guardians Owner/Chairman/CEO and son Paul Dolan on behalf of the entire 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.”

During his time as Cleveland’s owner, Dolan wanted to be involved with his players. MLB.com’s Jordan Bastain wrote in his blog in 2011 that Dolan was on Field 1 at Spring Training, watching batting practice and talking with players. He also penciled in time to go out to dinner with his front office and coaching staff during this time.

“I wanted to come here and talk to the players,” Dolan said. “It’s good for them to know the owner is involved.”

Dolan cared deeply about being involved. Whether it came to his family, the community, his jobs or his team, Dolan wanted to make sure he was connected. In 2019, he and the rest of his family were recognized for just that, when the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards honored them with the Lifetime Achievement Award for their dedication to advancing sports in the Cleveland community.

As Paul Dolan accepted the honor on his family’s behalf, he reflected on the journey to reach this point and how Larry guided him in the process: “My father would get up and say, ‘Whatever we do with the team doesn’t matter if we don’t positively impact the lives of the people in our community, in particular the young.’”

"I didn’t have an opportunity to meet Larry, but the Dolan family has just been so great to the city of Cleveland," said Guardians manager Stephen Vogt. "And to this organization, it means a ton. I know it’s going to be a very sad time for the Dolan family and our condolences are with them, and we’re thinking about them.”