Charlie Finley

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Finley was born in Ensley, Birmingham, Alabama, attended Ensley High School but was further raised in Gary, Indiana, and later lived in La Porte, 60 miles east of Chicago. He made his fortune in the insurance business, being among the first to write group medical insurance policies for those in the medical profession. Finley showed a penchant for flair and inventive business practices. He purchased the Kansas City Athletics in December 1960 (with control assumed in early 1961) and moved the team to Oakland in 1968. He replaced the team's traditional elephant mascot with a live mule named "Charlie-O." In 1963, he changed the team's colors to Kelly Green, Fort Knox Gold, and Wedding Gown White. In 1967, he replaced the team's traditional black spikes with white. He also started phasing out the team name "Athletics" in favor of "A's." Finley brought the Beatles to Kansas City for a concert on September 17, 1964, paying them $150,000. During the early 1970s, the A's won three straight World Series from 1972 to 1974 and five straight division titles from 1971 to 1975. He was named The Sporting News Sportsman of the Year in 1972.

In Their Own Story

In 1964, Finley was determined to bring the Beatles to Kansas City. Seeing one open date on their tour, he offered and paid the Beatles $150,000 for a concert on September 17, 1964. The tickets read: "CHARLES O. FINLEY/ IS PLEASED TO PRESENT..FOR THE ENJOYMENT/ OF THE BEATLE FANS IN MID-AMERICA/ 'THE BEATLES'/ IN PERSON" on the front, and showed a photograph of Finley wearing a Beatles wig on the back with the quote, "Today's Beatle's (sic) Fans/ Are/ Tomorrow's Baseball Fans." John Lennon was quoted later as saying he disliked Finley's attempt to strong-arm the Beatles into playing longer than their then-standard half-hour concert set. Finley visited the group's manager, Brian Epstein, in San Francisco on August 19, 1964, where the Beatles were playing the first date of the tour. He told Epstein he was disappointed that Kansas City was not among the group's itinerary, and offered first $50,000 and then $100,000. Epstein refused, pointing out that on the only free date available, September 17, the band was scheduled for a day of rest in New Orleans. Finley encountered Epstein again in Los Angeles a week later and they agreed on $150,000.

Reader's Guide

Finley's tenure as owner of the A's is marked by his innovative and sometimes controversial methods. He was effectively his own general manager from 1961 onward. He built the "K.C. Pennant Porch" in right field in April 1964, but league officials forced him to move the fences back after two exhibition games. He then ordered a white line painted on the field at the original distance and had the public address announcer announce "That would have been a home run in Yankee Stadium" for fly balls past that line, but abandoned the practice after it favored the opposition. Finley visited the Beatles' manager Brian Epstein in San Francisco on August 19, 1964, and later in Los Angeles, eventually agreeing on $150,000 for the Kansas City concert. John Lennon later said he disliked Finley's attempt to strong-arm the Beatles into playing longer than their standard half-hour set.

Did You Know?

• Finley was born in Ensley, Birmingham, Alabama, and raised in Gary, Indiana.
• He made his fortune in the insurance business, writing group medical policies for medical professionals.
• Finley purchased a home on Johnson Road just north of Pine Lake in LaPorte, Indiana, in 1956, which included a working cattle ranch and a mansion resembling the White House.
• He had a large 'Home of the Oakland A's' sign installed on a barn roof visible from the Indiana toll road.
• Finley married Shirley McCartney in 1941; they had eight children and divorced after a bitter, six-year proceeding.