Family Business
Before he was ever a New York Yankee, George Steinbrenner III was born into an Ohio shipping family. After attending Williams college, Steinbrenner served a stint in the U.S. Air Force, picked up a master's degree in physical education from Ohio State University and went on to assistant football-coaching positions at Northwestern and Purdue universities. In 1957, Steinbrenner returned to Ohio to help run his father's Kinsman Marine Transit Company and later the American Shipbuilding Company.
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Sports Nut
After buying the Cleveland Pipers of the soon-to-be-bankrupt American Basketball League, Steinbrenner tried and failed to buy baseball's Cleveland Indians. But in 1973, Steinbrenner (along with Michael Burke, Lester Crown, John DeLorean and Nelson Bunker Hunt as partners) was able to successfully purchase the New York Yankees from CBS for almost $10 million.
End of a Dry Spell
Four years later, in 1977, the Yankees won their first World Series championship under Steinbrenner against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Above, catcher Thurman Munson pours champagne over the head of the Yankees' owner after the big win.
Mr. October
At the end of the 1978 season, the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox were tied for the Eastern Division title. The teams faced each other in an one-game playoff. Reggie Jackson, a controversial Steinbrenner hire, hit a solo home run in the eighth inning to win the game. The Yankees would go on to win the World Series for the second year in a row. Above, Steinbrenner waits to congratulate Jackson after the dinger.
Tempestuous at Best
The relationship between Steinbrenner and manager Billy Martin was legendary for its hyper-volatility. "The Boss" hired and fired Martin five times.
Fading Glory
Outfielder Bobby Murcer and Steinbrenner sit in the clubhouse at Royals Stadium after losing the first game of the 1980 American League championship. The Yanks would fall to Kansas City and miss the World Series.
Empty Stadium
Steinbrenner confers with Yankee Stadium groundskeeper Jim Esposito about field conditions during the 1981 baseball players' strike over free agency. After the strike, the Bronx Bombers would face the Dodgers in the World Series again. This time, the Dodgers would take the series.
Love-Hate Relationship
Microphones surround Steinbrenner as he holds a press conference after the Yankees' 5-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians at Yankee Stadium on June 25, 1982. At the press conference, the Boss accused his team members of not earning their salaries. Steinbrenner was infamous for trashing players in the press.
Together Again
Steinbrenner and Billy Martin smoke cigars as they announce Martin's return as team manager in 1983.
Shave and a Haircut, Two Bits
Steinbrenner gives some advice to first baseman Don Mattingly before the start of a game. Unlike most team owners, the Yankees' top dog maintained a grooming policy; it prohibited hair bellow the collar and facial hair other than a mustache. Mattingly found himself a scofflaw of the rule on a couple of occasions.
The Conflict
In 1981, Steinbrenner hired Dave Winfield for a record $23 million 10-year contract. Although Winfield was named an All-Star every year from 1981 through 1988, Steinbrenner was disappointed in his performance. The pair's disagreements led to a very public feud.
The Drama
Unable to trade Winfield, Steinbrenner purchased "dirt" on his own player from gambler Howie Spira. For his transgression, in 1990 Major League Baseball commissioner Fay Vincent banned Steinbrenner from baseball for life.
Disapproval
Some Yankee fans felt betrayed by their team's owner and his behavior toward his players.
Napoleon Complex
In 1993 his "lifetime ban" was lifted, and Steinbrenner returned to helm the Yankee organization.
Long-Term Relationship
Steinbrenner and the Yankees hired Joe Torre to manage the team for the 1996 season. Torre would win the World Series in his first season in pinstripes, as well as in 1998, 1999 and 2000. The Yankee manager coached 12 years for the club, far and away the longest-serving manager Steinbrenner ever employed.
A Star Among Many
The Yankees' Derek Jeter talks with the Boss during spring training in Tampa, Fla. After a minor kerfuffle, the pair starred in a Visa commercial playing on Steinbrenner's criticism of Jeter's late-night lifestyle.
New Home
The Yankee owner, bottom center, speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Yankee Stadium in New York on Aug. 16, 2006. Steinbrenner had been lobbying for new digs for the Bronx Bombers since the 1980s. The cost: a whopping $2.3 billion.
A Yankee Forever
Steinbrenner died Tuesday, July 13, 2010, of a heart attack in Tampa, Fla. He was 80 years old.
SOURCE: TIME Magazine
