Jerry Colangelo

Jerry Colangelo (born November 20, 1939 in Chicago Heights, Illinois) is a respected American businessman and former sports mogul.

He is the former majority owner of the Phoenix Suns of the NBA, the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League and the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball. He was also instrumental in the relocation of the Winnipeg Jets of the NHL to Phoenix to become the Phoenix Coyotes.

Colangelo grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from the University of Illinois, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity.

Colangelo arrived in Phoenix in 1968, after a stint as an assistant coach of the Chicago Bulls; he was hired as the first general manager of the expansion Phoenix Suns. There, he made it clear from the start that his desire was to win an NBA championship.

Colangelo lost a 1969 coin flip to the Milwaukee Bucks for the rights to UCLA phenom Lew Alcindor. But the Suns remained competitive most of the 1970s, and they almost made Colangelo's dream come true when they reached the Finals in 1976, losing to the Boston Celtics in six games. Colangelo had two stints as head coach during that decade, compiling a record of 59 wins and 60 losses.

During a good portion of the 1980s, Colangelo's Suns faced trouble. Some players, including 1976 NBA Finals hero Garfield Heard, were involved in an infamous drug scandal, young center Nick Vanos perished in a 1987 plane crash, and from 1985 through 1988, the Suns failed to qualify for the playoffs. Colangelo put together a group that bought the Suns in late 1987, in the wake of the drug scandal. He subsequently made a trade for Kevin Johnson in 1987.

The Suns pulled off one of the biggest turnarounds in NBA history in 1988-89, nearly doubling their win total (from 28 wins to 55) and making the first of 13 straight playoff appearances. In 1989, Colangelo was an essential part of the group that planned to build America West Arena (now US Airways Center), providing financial backing. In 1992, Colangelo traded Jeff Hornacek to the Philadelphia 76ers for Charles Barkley. The trade proved to be productive for the Suns, and they reached the NBA Finals for the second time in 1993, this time losing to the Bulls in six games. Barkley's relationship with Colangelo, however, grew sour over the years, and in 1996, he was traded to the Houston Rockets.

While in Chicago for a Suns game, Colangelo attended a Cubs game, soon after that he decided to inquire to Major League Baseball to bring Major League Baseball to Arizona. He made a group of investers in 1994 to buy a franchise, the year prior to to the proposed expansion selection meetings.

In 1995, Colangelo had been granted a Major League Baseball expansion team: the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks began play in 1998, one year after another Colangelo team, the Women's National Basketball Association's Phoenix Mercury, also started. The Mercury reached the WNBA finals, losing to the Houston Comets. Another Colangelo team, the Arena Football League's Arizona Rattlers, gave Colangelo his first championship in 1994, and once again in 1997. The Rattlers have been playing since 1992. Colangelo was also instrumental in bringing the NHL to Arizona in the form of the Winnipeg Jets, in 1997. The hockey team now plays in the suburb of Glendale as the Phoenix Coyotes.

With the help of such notables as Mark Grace, Tony Womack, Luis Gonzalez, Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson, the Diamondbacks were finally able to give Colangelo what he wanted most: a World Series title. They beat the New York Yankees in seven thrilling games in 2001 to win the World Series. Many have said it to be the best World Series of all time. Although in went to seven games, the Diamondbacks overwhelmingly outscored and outplayed the Yankees. The Yankees had two come from behind with two two-run home runs in consecutive games 4 and 5 in the ninth inning with two outs. The series ended on a walk-off single by Luis Gonzalez in the 9th inning of Game Seven against the usually unhittable Mariano Rivera. The Yankees Dynasty was defeated and have not won since. Colangelo delivered the first major sports Championship to the Phoenix area.

Colangelo, who is good friends with boxing promoter Bob Arum, has also tried to bring boxing to Arizona, and was one of the persons behind the building of the Dodge Theatre in downtown Phoenix. The Dodge Theater is currently an important boxing and performing arts venue in the American Southwest.

He has received several community awards, and recently, he turned over the Suns' presidency to his son Bryan (who eventually left the organization to become GM of the Toronto Raptors).

His relationship with Barkley has improved with years, and Colangelo declared himself a born-again Christian, a reason that he credits for his change of heart about Barkley.

Colangelo has also been known for his no-nonsense ownership style. Players like the Suns' Dennis Johnson and Jason Kidd and the Diamondbacks' Bobby Chouinard have been traded or released from his teams after their personal problems came to the public light.

Colangelo has been named the NBA's Executive of the Year four times (1976, 1981, 1989, 1993).

On April 4, 2004, Colangelo was elected into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Later that month, Colangelo sold the Suns, Mercury and Rattlers to an investment group headed by San Diego businessman and Tucson native Robert Sarver for $401 million dollars. The sale came in part to keep his family from having to pay high estate taxes upon Colangelo's death.

Late in the 2004 baseball season, Colangelo sold his controlling interest in the Arizona Diamondbacks to a group of investors lead by Jeff Moorad [1]. The estate tax issue played a role, though another factor was that Colangelo's partners were upset at the team's large debt. The D-Backs were almost $150 million in the red at the time, largely because of Colangelo's "win now" strategy.

In December of that year, Colangelo was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

In the Summer of 2005, Colangelo was named the sole director of USA Basketball.

He is an honorary member of the Marchegiana Society of his home town, Chicago Heights, IL.

In winter of 2006 Colangelo expressed interest in buying the Chicago Cubs.

External links

• Basketball Hall of Fame profile