MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (AFP) — Carl Pohlad, the longtime owner of baseball's Minnesota Twins, died Monday at the age of 93, his family said.
Pohlad, a billionaire financier who bought the Twins from their original owner, Calvin Griffith, in 1984, presided over two World Series-winning campaigns by the franchise in 1987 and 1991.
Pohlad's image in Minneapolis took a hit in 1997, when he reportedly was close to selling the Twins in a deal that would have re-located the team to Charlotte, North Carolina.
However, Pohlad helped secure the franchise's long-term future in Minnesota two years ago when he reached an agreement with the state to build a new stadium for the team.
Pohlad, who also owned part of the National Football League's Minnesota Vikings during the 1980s, was worth an estimated 3.8 billion dollars according to Forbes magazine.
"Carl was the leader of our family as well as the founder and leader of our family businesses," Pohlad's three sons, Jim, Bob and Bill said in a statement, which added that Pohlad died at his home in Minnesota surrounded by family members beside him.
"We've loved and respected him and are enormously proud of his accomplishments. And we will all miss him deeply."
Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
