Mike Ilitch owned the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League and Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball.
16 Facts About Mike Ilitch
2.
Mike Ilitch was born in Detroit in 1929 to Macedonian immigrants Sotir and Sultana Mike Ilitch.
3.
Mike Ilitch was forced out of his playing career due to a knee injury.
4.
Mike Ilitch had fallen off Forbes magazine's annual list of the "400 Richest Americans", but in 2006 he returned to the list at No 242.
5.
Christopher Mike Ilitch was named to the new post of CEO and president.
6.
Denise Mike Ilitch later left the company "to pursue other opportunities".
7.
Mike Ilitch was part of a 33-person ownership group that funded the ill-fated WFL team which would not even last the inaugural season in the start-up league.
8.
In 1982, Mike Ilitch bought the Detroit Red Wings from Bruce Norris for US$8 million, and turned the team into a perennial contender for the Stanley Cup.
9.
Mike Ilitch purchased the Detroit Tigers in 1992 from fellow pizza magnate Tom Monaghan, the founder of Domino's Pizza.
10.
On January 24,2012, Mike Ilitch signed Prince Fielder to a nine-year, $214 million contract, the fourth-largest contract in baseball history.
11.
Mike Ilitch was one of the early team owners in the Arena Football League, starting up the Detroit Drive in 1988.
12.
Mike Ilitch was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003 as well as the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.
13.
In 2006, inspired by a veteran returning to civilian life after losing both of his legs in the war, Mike Ilitch founded the Little Caesars Veterans Program to provide honorably discharged veterans with a business opportunity when they transition from service or seek a career change.
14.
Mike Ilitch received the Secretary's Award from the US Department of Veterans Affairs for this program in 2007; it is the highest honor given to a civilian by the department.
15.
Mike Ilitch was married to Marian Mike Ilitch, who would go on to become one of the world's wealthiest women.
16.
Mike Ilitch died on February 10,2017, at the age of 87 in Detroit, Michigan.