Jerry Colangelo facts for kids
Colangelo in 2010
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | November 20, 1939 Chicago Heights, Illinois, U.S. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
| High school | Bloom Township (Chicago Heights, Illinois) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Illinois (1960–1962) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As coach: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1970, 1972–1973 | Phoenix Suns | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As player:
As executive:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medals
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jerry Colangelo (born November 20, 1939) is a famous American businessman and sports leader. He is well-known for owning several professional sports teams, especially in Phoenix. He owned the Phoenix Suns (NBA basketball), the Phoenix Mercury (WNBA women's basketball), and the Arizona Diamondbacks (MLB baseball).
Jerry Colangelo also helped bring the NHL team, the Winnipeg Jets, to Phoenix, where they became the Phoenix Coyotes (now the Utah Hockey Club). In 1968, he became the youngest general manager in professional sports when he was hired by the Phoenix Suns. He led an NBA team for a very long time, second only to Red Auerbach of the Boston Celtics.
In 2005, Colangelo became the director of USA Basketball. This team won gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 FIBA World Championship. Since 2009, he has been the Chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He also leads the National Italian American Foundation, which celebrates Italian-American culture.
Contents
Early Life and College Sports
Jerry Colangelo grew up in Chicago Heights, Illinois. He came from a working class family with Italian-American roots. In high school, he was a talented athlete, playing both basketball and baseball for Bloom Township High School.
He first went to the University of Kansas for college. However, he later transferred to the University of Illinois. There, he played basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini. He was a great player, earning "All-Big Ten" honors and becoming the team captain in his senior year. He was later honored in the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame. Jerry also played baseball for two years at Illinois. He graduated in 1962 with a degree in physical education.
Basketball Career
Jerry Colangelo started his professional sports journey in 1966 with the Chicago Bulls basketball team. He worked in marketing and as an assistant to the team president. In 1968, he moved to Arizona to become the first general manager of the new Phoenix Suns team. At just 28 years old, he was the youngest general manager in all of professional sports.
His start with the Suns was a bit tough. In 1969, the Suns lost a coin flip to the Milwaukee Bucks. This coin flip decided which team would get to draft the amazing player Lew Alcindor (who later became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). Even so, the Suns became a strong team in the 1970s. They even reached the 1976 NBA Finals but lost to the Boston Celtics. Colangelo also coached the Suns for two short periods during that time.
The 1980s brought some challenges for the Suns. Some players faced difficulties, and a young player named Nick Vanos sadly died in a plane crash. From 1985 to 1988, the Suns didn't make the playoffs. Colangelo then gathered a group of investors to buy the team in 1987. He also made an important trade for player Kevin Johnson.
The Suns had a huge comeback in the 1988–89 season. They almost doubled their wins and started a streak of 13 straight playoff appearances. In 1989, Colangelo helped get the funding to build America West Arena (now Talking Stick Resort Arena), which became the Suns' home. In 1992, he made another big trade, bringing Charles Barkley to the team. This trade helped the Suns reach the 1993 NBA Finals, where they lost to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
During his time with the Suns, Jerry Colangelo won the NBA Executive of the Year Award four times. This is the most times anyone has won this award for one team. He eventually passed the role of Suns president to his son, Bryan. Bryan later left the Suns to become the general manager of the Toronto Raptors.
In 2015, Jerry Colangelo returned to the NBA to work for the Philadelphia 76ers. He became the chairman of basketball operations. In 2016, his son Bryan also joined the 76ers as general manager. This brought the Colangelos together again, just like their time with the Phoenix Suns. Jerry later stepped down as chairman but stayed on as a special advisor until 2019.
Other Sports Teams and Achievements
Jerry Colangelo has been very active in bringing many professional sports teams to Arizona.
Baseball
Colangelo wanted to bring a Major League Baseball team to Arizona. He put together a group of investors in 1994 to buy a new team. In 1995, his group was granted an expansion team, which became the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Diamondbacks started playing in 1998. Colangelo hired Joe Garagiola, Jr. as general manager and Buck Showalter as manager. These choices helped the team succeed quickly. Key players like Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling joined the team. In the 2001 World Series, the Diamondbacks beat the New York Yankees in seven games. This was the first and only major professional sports championship for the Phoenix area.
After the 2001 championship, the Diamondbacks faced financial challenges. Colangelo eventually resigned as Managing General Partner in 2004 and sold his share of the team.
Women's Basketball
In 1997, Colangelo's team in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), the Phoenix Mercury, began playing. The next year, the Mercury made it to the WNBA Finals but lost to the Houston Comets.
Arena Football
In 1992, Colangelo started the Arena Football League team, the Arizona Rattlers. He owned them until 2005. Under his leadership, the Rattlers won Arena Bowl championships in 1994 and 1997. They were known as one of the best teams in the league and often made the playoffs.
Hockey
Colangelo was also important in bringing the National Hockey League (NHL) to Arizona. He helped convince the owners of the Winnipeg Jets to move their team to Phoenix in 1996. The team became the Phoenix Coyotes. This move made Phoenix one of the few U.S. cities with teams in all four major professional sports leagues.
Life After Sports Ownership
In 2004, Jerry Colangelo sold his ownership of the Suns, Mercury, and Rattlers to a new investment group. Later that year, he also sold his main share in the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Other Interests and Awards
Jerry Colangelo has been involved in other projects too. He was part of a group planning large housing developments in Buckeye, Arizona. He also bought and helped fix up the Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park, Arizona.
In 2011, he helped create the Colangelo School of Sports Business at Grand Canyon University. In 2014, the university renamed its entire business college the Colangelo College of Business in his honor.
Colangelo has received many awards for his work:
- He was named the NBA's Executive of the Year four times (1976, 1981, 1989, 1993).
- In 1994, he received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement.
- In 2002, he received an honorary degree from Arizona State University.
- In 2004, he was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
- In 2007, he was honored by the Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor.
- He is also in the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame.
- In 2019, he received the Order of Lincoln award, the highest honor given by the State of Illinois.
Personal Life
Jerry Colangelo is a Christian and often talks about how his faith guides his life. He believes that God has a plan for him and has blessed him with opportunities. He tries to use his platform responsibly.
Colangelo is married to Joan, whom he met in college. They have four children: Kathy, Kristen, Mandie, and Bryan Colangelo. His son Bryan also followed in his footsteps, working as a sports executive for the Phoenix Suns and the Philadelphia 76ers.
See also
In Spanish: Jerry Colangelo para niños
