Cleveland Guardians owner Larry Dolan passes away at 94

CLEVELAND, OH ¨C The Cleveland Guardians are saddened to announce the passing of Lawrence J. Dolan, owner of the Cleveland Guardians. He was 94 years old.

¡°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.¡±

¡°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 Cleveland 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.¡±

His love of sports began on the sandlots of Cleveland Heights and high school fields across our city as a running back, defensive back, and catcher at St. Ignatius High School. He was able to realize two dreams of most every Cleveland athlete ¨C to play on the field at Cleveland Municipal Stadium where his boyhood idol Lou Boudreau starred, and to own one of the city¡¯s professional sports teams. On Saturday, November 26, 1949, a chilly day at Cleveland Stadium, more than 30,000 watched as Larry helped lead St. Ignatius to its first ever Charity Game victory and only second City Championship in school history. As a senior running back, he tossed a touchdown pass and had an interception as a defensive back in the 13-0 win over East Tech.

He completed his undergraduate and law degree at the University of Notre Dame where he met his wife Eva who was attending as a student at St. Mary¡¯s college. After graduation, Larry enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served two years as a First Lieutenant. After his military service, he became the Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Geauga County. He would enter private practice eventually becoming President and Managing Partner of Thrasher, Dinsmore and Dolan law firm in Chardon, OH.

Along with Eva, Larry invested his life in NE Ohio, raising six children and participating in numerous community and charitable endeavors, including The Christopher Foundation, American Red Cross, The Cleveland Foundation, Mission Possible, Catholic Charities and the Geauga Family YMCA, to name just a few.

Larry purchased the Cleveland baseball club on February 15, 2000, from Richard E. Jacobs. The 2025 season is the 26^th year of ownership for the Dolan family, the longest and one of the most successful tenures in franchise history. On January 10, 2013, Larry¡¯s son, Paul, was approved by Major League Baseball as the primary control person of the organization.

Under the Dolan ownership, a sustained winning culture has been established. For the past 12 seasons (2013 ¨C 2024), the Cleveland Guardians have the 3^rd most wins in all of Major League Baseball with 1,013 (LAD ¨C 1,129; NYY 1,034). In past 24 seasons the team has enjoyed 14 Winning Seasons (11 Seasons of 90+ Wins), 9 Postseason Appearances, 7 A.L. Central Division Titles, 2 Wild Card Appearances, 3 A.L. Championship Appearances, 2016 A.L. Pennant and 2016 World Series Appearance. The organization also played host to the 2019 MLB All-Star Week Festivities during the Dolan ownership.

Larry Dolan is survived by his wife Eva, 6 children and 21 grandchildren. The family is planning on private funeral arrangements.