Cleveland Guardians Owner Larry Dolan Dies at 94

Cleveland Guardians owner Larry Dolan has died at 94, the team announced Monday.

Dolan, a Cleveland native, was the longest-tenured owner in Guardians franchise history. He bought the team he grew up rooting for in 2000 through a family trust for $323 million. 

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

Cleveland struggled for the early part of Dolan’s tenure after a dominant run in the 1990s when they reached the postseason in five straight years and won two American League pennants. The team only made the postseason twice between 2000 and 2012, but finally returned to consistent playoff contention with the arrival of manager Terry Francona in 2013. 

In the 12 seasons since then, Cleveland has made seven playoff appearances including five AL Central division titles, the most recent of which came last season under first-year manager Stephen Vogt, Francona’s replacement.

However, Cleveland also currently has the longest World Series championship drought among any past winner, having not won since 1948. The team gained that distinction when it lost to the Chicago Cubs in the 2016 World Series, which remains Cleveland’s only World Series appearance since Dolan took over.

The past 12 years have also been overseen primarily by Dolan’s son Paul Dolan, who took over from his father as the franchise’s controlling owner and CEO in January 2013. The Guardians had 1,013 regular-season wins in that time, the third-most in all of Major League Baseball behind only the Dodgers and the Yankees. The team’s 2,046 wins since the Dolans’ ownership began in 2000 are the seventh-highest in MLB despite Cleveland’s payroll usually ranking among the bottom 10 in the league. The Guardians had the 23rd-highest payroll in MLB last season, per Spotrac. 

“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 his 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.”

The Dolans are expected to eventually transfer a majority stake in the team to minority owner David Blitzer, an executive at private equity firm Blackstone, after he bought a 25% stake in the team in 2022. Blitzer is also a managing partner of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which controls the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and NHL’s New Jersey Devils, and owns a limited stake in the NFL’s Washington Commanders (Josh Harris, Blitzer’s partner at Harris Blitzer, is that team’s majority owner). 

It’s not publicly known when control of the Guardians will transfer from the Dolan family to Blitzer, or whether Larry Dolan’s death affects that timeline.

Larry Dolan was also the brother of late HBO and Cablevision founder William Dolan and the uncle of James Dolan, the supervising owner of the Knicks and the NHL’s Rangers.

The initial naming rights deal was for 16 years and a reported $58 million. In early 2024, Progressive and the Guardians extended the deal through 2036 for an undisclosed amount with an automatic five-year extension through 2041 if the team renews its current lease at the stadium. 

The Guardians also hosted the MLB All-Star Game at Progressive Field in 2019. The stadium has undergone two major renovations during the Dolans’ ownership tenure.

Another highlight of the Dolan ownership tenure was phasing out the old “Indians” team name and logo, both of which had been the subject of controversy for years with the logo in particular often criticized as racist. The logo was abandoned in 2018 and the team announced in December 2020 they would change names after the 2021 season following a “thorough review.”