"Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing. Breathing first, winning next." - George Steinbrenner (in reference to how he runs the New York Yankees)
George Steinbrenner was born July 4, 1930 in Rocky River, Ohio. His father was a Great Lakes shipping tycoon and he himself went on to build his fortune as chariman of the American Ship-Building Company based in Cleveland. As a young adult he was an assistant football coach at both Northwestern and Purdue Universities and put together national champion teams in the National Industrial and American Baseketball leagues.
Eager to expand into other business ventures that were lucrative, Steinbrenner assembled a private group of investors to buy the New York Yankees. Although he lacked experience he felt that he possessed the business savvy for baseball. The franchise was purchased from CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) and from there Steinbrenner threw himself into the day-to-day operations of the ball club. He set the tone and involved himself in a way that no other owner had done since Connie Mack.