Broadway Producer and Former Yankees Owner George M. Steinbrenner III Dies at 80

Theatrical producer and was principal owner and managing partner of the New York Yankees, George M. Steinbrenner III, passed away this morning of a heart attack at his home in Tampa.  He was 80 years old.

Steinbrenner was a former Cleveland shipping magnate prior to becoming a former owner and managing partner of the Yankees. His outspokenness and role in driving up player salaries made him one of the sport's most controversial figures.

Steinbrenner was known as a hands-on executive, earning the nickname "The Boss." His tendency to meddle in daily on-field decisions, and to hire and fire (and sometimes re-hire) managers led then-Yankees skipper Dallas Green to give him the derisive nickname "Manager George."

During Steinbrenner's ownership from 1973 to his death, the longest in club history, the Yankees earned 11 pennants and 7 World Series titles.

After a short, unsuccessful foray into the NBA, Steinbrenner put his sports aspirations put on hold in favor of testing the Broadway waters. His involvement with Broadway began with a short-lived 1967 play, The Ninety Day Mistress, in which he partnered with another rookie producer, James Nederlander. Whereas Nederlander threw himself into his family's business full-time, Steinbrenner invested in a mere half-dozen shows, including Applause, the 1974 Tony Award nominee for Best Musical, Seesaw, and the 1988 Peter Allen flop, Legs Diamond.