Minnesota Twins owner Carl Pohlad passed away at his Edina, Minnesota home at the age of 93. Pohlad bought the Twins from Calvin Griffith the teams original owner in 1984 for about $38 million.
A lot of Twins fans disliked Carl Pohlad primarily for two reasons. First, because he agreed to “contract” (eliminate) the Minnesota Twins in 2001 and secondly because many Twins fans felt that with all personal wealth, estimated at about $2.8 billion, that Pohlad should have spent more money on the Twins payroll in order to make them a more competitive team. Regardless of how you may have felt about Carl Pohlad, he did a lot for the Minnesota Twins and he has earned his rightful place in Minnesota Twins history. Pohlad led an interesting life to say the least, here are some of the high points.
Timeline
1915 – Born in Des Moines, Iowa
1942 to 1945 – Fights for U.S. Army in Europe during World War II earning a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star
1946 – Starts first job at consumer finance company in Dubuque, Iowa
1949 – Joins Marquette National Bank in Minneapolis
1955 – Becomes president of Marquette National Bank and its holding company, Marquette Bancshares, Inc.
1960 – Buys Minnesota Enterprises, Inc., a private transit company, and turns it into a huge Pepsi bottling company
1982 – Takes over Farmers & Mechanics Savings Bank and saves it from closure
1984 – Buys and owns Minnesota Twins
1986 to 1993 – Part-owner of Minnesota Vikings
1993 – Serves as chairman of Mesaba Holdings, Inc., the airline that provides small-market flights for Northwest Airlines
A nice write-up on Carl Pohlad called “Remembering Carl Pohlad: What Will His Ultimate Legacy Be? ” makes for a good read.
You can find the Minneapolis Star Tribune obituary for Carl Pohlad here.