Mike Ilitch

Lore & Background

Ilitch purchased the Detroit Tigers in 1992 from fellow pizza magnate Tom Monaghan. Under his ownership, the Tigers logged losing records in twelve out of thirteen seasons before their turnaround in 2006. After acquiring the team, Ilitch expressed interest in moving the struggling team to a new ballpark. In 2000, his expectations were realized when the team moved from Tiger Stadium into the newly built Comerica Park. He financed approximately 60% of the $350 million facility. When the Tigers won the AL Wild Card in 2006, they made the playoffs for the first time since 1987 and reached the World Series for the first time since 1984, but lost in five games to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Tigers won four consecutive AL Central Division titles between 2011 and 2014, but Ilitch's quest for a World Series title was not achieved before his death in 2017.

In Their Own Story

The lights hummed above Comerica Park on a crisp October night in 2006. Inside the owner's suite, Mike Ilitch watched the final out play out on the field below. The roar from the stands was not just noise; it was thirty years of patience finally breaking through. He did not cheer loudly, but the weight in his shoulders lifted as the players celebrated on the diamond. It was a quiet victory for a man who had bought a dream in 1983 and held onto it until the trophy was raised.

Reader's Guide

Ilitch was born in Detroit in 1929 to Macedonian immigrants. He graduated from Cooley High School, served in the U.S. Marine Corps for four years, and played four seasons (1952–1955) in the minors as a second baseman in the Tigers, New York Yankees, and Washington Senators systems before a knee injury ended his playing career. He and his wife Marian founded Little Caesars Pizza Treat in Garden City, Michigan in 1959. In 1999, they established Ilitch Holdings, Inc. Ilitch also owned the Detroit Red Wings (1982–2017), winning the Stanley Cup in 1997, 1998, 2002, and 2008. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (builder) in 2003 and the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.

Did You Know?

• Ilitch was part of a 33-person consortium that funded the Detroit Wheels, a World Football League team in 1974.
• He owned the Detroit Caesars, a professional softball team that played from 1977 to 1979.
• Ilitch founded the Little Caesars Love Kitchen in 1985, which has served more than 2 million individuals in the United States and Canada.
• He received the Secretary's Award from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in 2007 for the Little Caesars Veterans Program.