Abe Pollin Death

Written on 3:23 PM by Admin

Washington Wizard Owner Abe Pollin dies

Abe Pollin health was declining who was a real estate developer, philanthropist, and owner of the Washington Wizards and other sports teams, has died at 85, WRC-TV is reporting Pollin today is remembered most fondly as a sports team owner---the man who bought the Baltimore Bullets to Washington, brought NHL hockry to the city, women's pro basketball, and other sporting endeavors.

He presided over one world championship, the 1978 Bullets' NBA title.But he was also a crackerjack businessman, a developer who left his legacy across the region's landscape, in numerous apartment towers in Montgomery County and the District. His prime development legacy, let there be no doubt about it, will be the MCI Center, which Pollin built out of his own pocket while the city suffered from crippling financial woes and went on to anchor the rebirth of downtown Washington.

Though well known as a hellish negotiator, Pollin was generous with his riches, donating heavily to Jewish causes (he helped save the Sixth & I Synagogue, for instance) and, among other good works, paying for an entire elementary-school class to go to college.

The cause of Pollin's death is yet unconfirmed [WaPo reports that Pollin suffered from corticobasal degeneration for several years], though he had appeared frail in rare public appearances in recent years and several news outlets are reporting that he suffered from a rare brain malady. ESPN.com reports this comment from the July 2008 re-signing announcement for Antawn Jamison: "I'm getting a little old and a little sick....But I'm still around, and I'm going to be around until we win the...championship. I'm stubborn and hardheaded."

The Washington Post writes:

Pollin was among the last of the old-school pro sports owners who ran his teams as a family business, shaped by his strong personality and his intense loyalties. His teams lost more than they won, and fans often criticized his personnel moves and his failure to spend more money, but Pollin invariably remained set in his ways.

He was also a major philanthropist in the community, paying for affordable housing and endowing a local Boy's and Girl's Club. His grandest project was building the MCI Center (now Verizon Center) in 1997 and triggering a stunning renaissance of Gallery Place and surrounding neighborhoods.

WRC-TV's Lindsay Czarniak interviewed Pollin's beloved wife Irene last month:

ESPN.com notes his impact on the D.C. sporting world and beyond, and notes that Ted Leonsis, who bought the Bullets and Mystics from Pollin, stands to take over his empire, Washington Sports & Entertainment:

Pollin was the NBA's longest-tenured owner. With his death, a group led by longtime AOL executive Ted Leonsis is poised to take ownership of a Washington-area sports empire that began when Pollin purchased the Baltimore Bullets in 1964....

"There's no important initiative or any end to difficult situations or any settlement or any legislation that Abe was not leading the way on across all these years," NBA commissioner David Stern said in March. "He's been an extraordinary league person, always voting the league way, similar to what he did in building Verizon Center. He was going the D.C. way, not necessarily what was in his best economic interest but what was in the best economic interests of Washington, D.C."

Former WaPo sports editor George Solomon is now hosting a live chat on Pollin at washingtonpost.com.

A statement from the Washington Nationals:

The Washington Nationals and the Lerner family join all of the Washington DC community and sports fans nationally in mourning the loss of Abe Pollin. He was not just the beloved owner of sports teams in the Nation's Capital for almost 40 years; he was also a significant force in the rebirth of downtown Washington DC, and a magnanimous contributor to the personality, health, and well-being of everyone who calls our community home. He leaves an important legacy. Our deepest affection and condolences are with the Pollin family and the Washington Sports and Entertainment organization in their time of grief.

Here are some of the best Pollin-related columns by WCP's Dave McKenna:

•About Pollin's team-owner bona fides...back in 2003! "More than ever before, he thrives in comparison with the other major-league owners in town. With every passing week, Dan Snyder proves himself the Redskins equivalent of star-crossed Cubs fan Steve Bartman: a superfan who, when given a chance to control the fate of the team he idolizes, screws it up for everybody. And Ted Leonsis, long billed by the Capitals as "the most accessible owner in sports," committed the mortal sin of ownership by blasting the fans for not coming out to watch his overpaid underperformers fold against Tampa Bay in last year's playoffs." (So he was a little off about Leonsis; the new Caps owner would get Best Sports Owner honors from McKenna this year, with Pollin runner-up.)

•About a group of fans who mobilized to "Save the Caps" in the early '80s after Pollin threatened to move the team unless Prince George's County handed him tax breaks.

•About a Pollin and his documentarian, who won "Unsportsman of the Year" honors in 2007 for making an unnecessarily mean-spirited biopic. Among its revelations: That Michael Jordan “called me a liar, and the worst thing he said to me was, ‘You’re a no-good redneck bastard.’”

•About the Wizards' re-embrace of the Bullets moniker, which Pollin famously discarded citing his feelings on violence in the mideast and in the inner city.

•About Pollin's encounter with rocker Nils Lofgren, author of "Bullets Fever"

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty has issued a statement:

Today the District of Columbia has lost one of our greatest treasures. Abe Pollin almost single-handedly revitalized the Gallery Place / Chinatown neighborhood by turning down offers from suburban jurisdictions to finance and build the Verizon Center on 7th Street NW. My deepest condolences go out to Mr. Pollin’s family, most especially his wife Irene, who was always his partner, in sports, construction, philanthropy, and of course, family.

Abe Pollin will be remembered in the District for adopting our city as his hometown, having lived in the area since the age of eight; for more than 40 years as owner of the Washington Wizards; and for being the original owner of the National Hockey League’s Washington Capitals and the Women’s National Basketball Association’s Washington Mystics.

He will be truly missed.

Here's At-Large Councilmember Kwame Brown's statement:

I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Abe Pollin, a true pioneer who contributed to the growth of professional sports and gave unselfishly to our communities.” In 1997, Abe & Irene Pollin saw their dreams to fruition with the completion of a state of-the-art sports and entertainment facility in our nation’s capitol.

Mr. Pollin, not only achieved his goal to create a facility that would “be the catalyst that turned the city around,” he also demonstrated his commitment to ensuring that our residents became the primary benefactors of the city’s resurgence. Together, the Pollins’ contributions to our communities are invaluable. From employing many of our District residents to giving many of our students the opportunity to attend college, Mr. Pollin embodied the intangible qualities of a wonderful humanitarian, businessman and father, whose legacy will continue to inspire others.”

The prayers of the Councilmember, his family and staff go to Abe Pollin’s wife and partner, Irene and his two sons Robert and James.

The Wizznutzz tweet a tribute: "WE LOVE U ABE POLLIN u helped build DC with your hands & your hope"

Here's D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray:

I am saddened to learn of the passing of Abe Pollin, one of Washington’s most-respected businessmen and philanthropists. He and his wife, Irene, have made a huge difference on the lives of countless residents in the District of Columbia and in the region. My sincere condolences go to Mrs. Pollin and their family.

In the late 90s, Abe Pollin brought the Wizards and the Capitals to what’s now called the Verizon Center. Now, a decade later, the Pollins can take a large part of the credit for the bright lights, crowds and remarkable revitalization of downtown Washington.

It’s not just the mixture of sports and business that made Abe Pollin a household name. He also will be remembered for the benevolent business partnerships with the District that sparked housing and other projects to improve the quality of life for some of our residents most in need. I worked closely with Mr. Pollin on numerous projects and will miss his personal, gentle style of collaboration. Ironically, today I chaired a hearing on the plan for the continued cultural development and revitalization of Chinatown.

Mrs. Pollin was an active partner with her husband on many fronts. No doubt she will continue their immeasurable work to ensure Mr. Pollin’s legacy lives on.

Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans calls in with his thoughts:

He was a great man. His contributions to the city were enormous, to many of the philanthropic causes, to affordable housing, to the synagogue at Sixth and I, his reach was extraordinary. But what he will absolutely be remembered for is bringing the two teams, the Bullets and the Caps, to downtown Washington and the area that was absolutely deserted and dangerous. And then, when the city could not fulfill its part of the deal, to build the arena, he used his own money to building the arena. It was the catalyst for the revitalization of Washington. You can't say enough how much this city is indebted to Abe Pollin....

I saw him at a game recently, must have been a hockey game. He was not in good shape. I don't know that he recognized me; he was definitely on the downswing. But they had a special place for him in the box....

Every time I saw him, he was so upbeat about the city.

A statement from Washington Convention and Sports Authority CEO Greg O'Dell:

The Washington Convention and Sports Authority, along with the entire Washington, D.C. community, mourns the passing of Abe Pollin, a legendary figure on the D.C. sports scene and a visionary whose dedication to the community is an inspiration to us all. He was a beloved sports owner in the District for more than 40 years and his pioneering efforts were a significant factor in the revitalization of downtown Washington. He will be missed, but his legacy will live on forever. We extend our sincere condolences to his wife Irene, his two sons and the entire Pollin family.

Redskins owner Dan Snyder's statement:

Abe Pollin was a great owner for Washington, as well as a personal friend. His legacy will live through his teams and the arena he built, and just as importantly, through his commitment to his family and to Washington. My thoughts and prayers go out to Irene and the rest of his wonderful family.

Developer Douglas Jemal shares some thoughts with Washington Business Journal:

Jemal...recalled Pollin as a wonderful man and a business icon who did things the old school way.

"I knew him very well and spent a lot of years with him down here when he was building the Verizon Center. And I can tell you when the Verizon Center was being built, he was down here every day monitoring construction," Jemal said.

One day, when a worker on one of Jemal's buildings had a construction accident, Pollin was there to help, Jemal said. "He came running across the street to see what he could do."

Pollin represented a now gone era of "independent, old-school team owners" who cared about the city's where they did business. "I think that team was his life," Jemal said. He said that even when the team was not winning, "he would sit in that owners' box by himself and watch every time that team played."

ESPN.com:

Pollin will be remembered for several things. He was the NBA's longest tenured owner. He was the guy who fired Michael Jordan. And he was the person who changed the name of his team from the Bullets to the Wizards after his friend, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, was killed.

NPR:

Pollin will long be known as the man who stopped Michael Jordan's basketball ambitions, not on the court where few people could stop His Airness but in the front office. After Jordan retired from the Chicago Bulls, Pollin brought him to Washington in 2000, selling him a minority stake in the Wizards.
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Jordan, with his towering ego, eventually proved insufferable, especially to Pollin. According to reports, Pollin was particularly irked by Jordan's presumption that he would one day own Pollin's team.

After Jordan sold back his minority stake in order to put on his basketball shoes and play a few seasons for the Wizards, Pollin outfoxed him by refusing to sell back to Jordan once he retired from playing again, the minority stake Jordan had given up. Jordan left the organization in 2003