Mike Ilitch, the founder of Little Caesar's Pizza who later became owner of both the Detroit Red Wings and the Detroit Tigers, has passed away at the age of 87.
Ilitch's business acumen made him a bonafide billionaire and enabled him to become a sports impresario. Under Ilitch's ownership of the Red Wings, Detroit became perennial playoff contenders with four Stanley Cup titles in his tenure. For this, Ilitch was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
A Detroit icon, Ilitch was also a notable philanthropist who utilized his wealth to aid veterans, children and those displaced by natural disasters.
But it's Ilitch's connection to baseball which I remember most. Did you know that before he went into the pizza business, Ilitch was a minor league shortstop in the Tigers, New York Yankees and Washington Senators' organizations from 1952-1955?
A quarter century ago, Ilitch returned to baseball when he bought the Tigers. One of his first acts was to bring back Ernie Harwell to the broadcast booth after he was unceremoniously dumped by previous management after the 1991 season. This was the mark of a mensch.
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