Detroit Tigers: Team Owner Mike Ilitch Dies At Age 87

Longtime Detroit Tigers and Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch has passed away at the age of 87.

In a press release from Ilitch Holdings, Inc., Chris Ilitch (Mike’s son) announced his father’s passing on Friday. Mike Ilitch was the co-founder of Little Caesar’s pizza chain and Chairman of Ilitch Holdings in addition to owner both the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings.

It’s no secret that Ilitch was very determined, and wanted to see the Tigers win. Every year we see teams decide to rebuild, but not the Tigers. It was Mike Ilitch’s money that made Justin Verlander‘s $28M annual salary possible, and the same goes for Miguel Cabrera. Despite luxury tax penalties and a poor local economy, Ilitch’s Tigers were headed into 2017 with a $195M+ payroll. He was a savvy businessman, a passionate team owner, and a very well respected man in Detroit.

Tigers GM Al Avila and ace pitcher Justin Verlander have already made statements on Mr. Ilitch:

The Red Wings won 4 Stanley Cups, under Ilitch’s ownership, while the Tigers made three World Series appearances. The man known in Detroit as “Mr. I” wasn’t just impacting sports though, he was impacting the city. Restorations to the Foxtown area, as well as donations to Wayne State University will solidify Ilitch’s legacy in the city of Detroit. The city needed it’s billionaires to step up, and Ilitch did just that.

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While it is far too soon to know what the impact will truly be, this does put the Tigers’ future into question. Chris Ilitch will immediately take over as owner, and there’s no telling what he envisions. Mike Ilitch was willing to spend any amount of money to bring a World Series to Detroit. The Tigers were spending more than they were making under Mike’s watch. Chris may have different priorities than his father, we’ll just have to wait and see. At this moment, paying respects to the Ilitch family should be the priority.