CLEVELAND, Ohio — Those who knew Larry Dolan simply as the owner of the Guardians for the better part of a quarter-century only know part of the story.
Those that knew him best say Cleveland lost a uniquely humble leader and a generous soul when the U.S. Marine and former attorney died Sunday at 94.
Longtime Guardians voice Tom Hamilton has said that getting the call for his first (and only) major league radio job in 1990 felt like winning the lottery. But to Hamilton, working for the Dolan family for the last quarter-century has felt like holding two winning tickets.
Hamilton, who will be honored this summer at baseball’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, said Larry Dolan lived a life of compassion and humility to which more people should aspire.
“Larry and Eva Dolan are who the rest of us strive for as far as how to be a husband, how to be a father and how to be so kind and compassionate to everybody and every walk of life,” Hamilton said. “They are incredible examples of how you should be as a person on this earth.”
Hamilton remarked upon Dolan’s humble nature and his disarming sense of humor, recalling a round of golf the two played soon after Dolan took over the club. The play-by-play man said he was so nervous that his score was terrible, and Dolan, sensing his anxiety, softly chided that he should “keep his day job.”
“When you have someone like that, that’s the owner of the ball club and in essence, your boss and you can have that kind of a sense of humor, it’s unique,” Hamilton recalled. “He just he never realized how special he was because he never acted like it. But the rest of us knew how special he was.”
Larry Dolan and wife Eva, participate in the induction ceremony of Herb Score, Rocky Colavito, Sam McDowell, and Al Rosen, into the Club’s Hall of Fame, before the start of the Cleveland vs. Seattle game at Jacobs Field, Saturday, July 29, 2006. The late Ray Chapman, Addie Joss and Al Lopez were also inducted. (Marvin Fong/ The Plain Dealer)The Plain Dealer
Dolan was the third Cleveland owner that Bob DiBiasio has worked under in his 46 years with the club. DiBiasio, now senior vice-president of public affairs, said the passion Dolan had — and his family still has — for Cleveland and its sports teams is unmatched.
He called Dolan’s love of the game of baseball “special,” learning quickly that whenever one walked into the owner’s suite behind home plate at Progressive Field it was prudent to wait before starting a conversation until there was a break between innings.
“The old catcher in him had a comment about every pitch that was thrown and the decision-making behind it,” DiBiasio said. “The catcher never left him.”
Three days after the press conference when Dolan was announced as the club’s new owner, he grilled DiBiasio over the course of a three-hour lunch meeting on the ins and outs of ownership and what he needed to know about the game.
“He wanted to know everything,” DiBiasio recalled. “All the nuances in the game of baseball. Where to stay in spring training. Anything that would help guide the process. He was just a remarkable, remarkable man.”
But Dolan carried a philosophy from his father that allowed him to build a winner. That was to surround himself with good people, intelligent people and allow them to do their jobs, while being available for guidance whenever needed. It is a philosophy Dolan passed to his son, Paul, who now runs the team.
Hamilton said he hopes fans in northeast Ohio realize that they are fortunate to have the Dolan family own the Guardians for as long as they have.
“They live and die each game just like the rest of us,” Hamilton said. “They care, and yet they never micromanage. They never interfere. Whether you’re a broadcaster or you’re the president of the ball club or the manager. They just let you do your job. You just can’t work for better people. It’s impossible.”
Larry Dolan visits with shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera during morning batting practice at the club’s practice facility in Goodyear, Arizona on March 23, 2012. The Dolan family arrived for the first spring training games. (Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer)The Plain Dealer
Meanwhile, at Dolan’s high school alma mater, Saint Ignatius, news of the Cleveland Heights native’s passing was felt throughout the community. A member of the class of 1950, Dolan was one of the school’s most high-profile graduates and a generous benefactor for decades.
“Larry was a very faithful and loyal alumnus of Saint Ignatius going back to his days as an athlete here,” said Jeff McCormick, vice president of marketing, enrollment and communications.
“It’s obviously a tough day for the city of Cleveland to lose such an impactful person. And for our community as well. Certainly a great life and a great legacy.”
Dolan’s generosity extended into the classroom at Saint Ignatius, where he and his wife donated funding for the Allen J. Goebl Department of Languages.
“Instead of having the Dolan name on it, he wanted to honor the important work that his classmate accomplished,” McCormick said. “It was very selfless of him to make a significant gift to the school, but also to honor his friend in that way.”
The Guardians organization has maintained a great relationship with Saint Ignatius since Dolan bought the club, McCormick said. The team is regularly held youth camps at the school’s athletic facilities and has partnered on several community outreach initiatives.
Cleveland Indians owner Larry Dolan, right, talks with former Indians player and manager Mike Hargrove before Hargrove was inducted into the team’s hall of fame Saturday, Aug. 16, 2008, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)The Plain Dealer
Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement that he was saddened by Dolan’s passing, citing his family’s 25 years as team owners as a driving force for making his hometown club a consistent winner and a mainstay in the Cleveland community.
“Larry was a lifelong baseball fan who served our country,” Manfred said. “He strongly believed in mentoring young people and using the Guardians as a way to impact Greater Cleveland.”
Dolan served on MLB’s executive council and the ownership committee while also participating in two labor negotiating committees.
“On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Paul Dolan and the entire Dolan family,” Manfred said.
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