Ben Berger
{{Short description|American sports businessman}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Ben Berger
| image = Benjamin Berger speaking at the National Jewish Fund Dinner.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Ben Berger speaking at the National Jewish Fund Dinner in 1967
| birth_name = Benjamin N. Berger
| birth_date = 1897
| birth_place = Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, Poland
| death_date = February 9, 1988 (aged 91)
| death_place = Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
| education =
| occupation = Sports entertainment executive
| known_for = Owner of the Minnesota Lakers (later Los Angeles Lakers)
| years_active =
| employer =
| spouse = Mildred Berger
| children = 1
| parents =
| awards =
| website =
| footnotes =
}}
Benjamin N. Berger (1897 – February 9, 1988) was a Minneapolis businessman, perhaps best known for being one of the original owners of the Minneapolis Lakers which he bought from Detroit helped move to Minneapolis.
Biography
Berger was born in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, Congress Poland and moved to the United States at age 16 in 1913 at age 16 settling in Fargo, North Dakota.{{Cite news|title= Philanthropist Benjamin Berger Dies At 91 |newspaper=Associated Press|date=February 10, 1988 |url=https://apnews.com/352e4a6e9cb91ec8533c1560ca7ef289 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209195934/https://apnews.com/352e4a6e9cb91ec8533c1560ca7ef289 |archive-date=9 December 2018}} He became a U.S. citizen while serving in World War I. In 1921, he purchased his first movie house in Grand Forks, North Dakota which evolved into a chain of 19 theaters. In 1944, he bought Schiek's Cafe, a popular local nightclub.
In 1947, he along with Morris Chalfen bought the Detroit Gems of the National Basketball League (NBL). They relocated and renamed the team the Minneapolis Lakers.{{cite web|url=http://nbahoopsonline.com/teams/LosAngelesLakers/History/DetroitGems/|title=Detroit Gems|first=NBA Hoops|last=Online}}{{cite web |url=http://www.startribune.com/john-kundla-former-minneapolis-lakers-coach-and-basketball-hall-of-famer-dies-at-101/436178233/ |publisher=Star Tribune |author=Joel Rippel |date=July 24, 2017 |access-date=October 21, 2017 |title=John Kundla, former Minneapolis Lakers coach and Basketball Hall of Famer, dies at 101}} He co-owned the team until 1957. During those years the Lakers won six league titles (1 NBL and 5 BAA/NBA). They sold the team in 1957.
In the late 1950s, Berger was the owner and president of the minor league hockey team, the Minneapolis Millers.
Mimi Ajzenstadt is the Mildred and Benjamin Berger Chair in Criminology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.[https://www.openu.ac.il/en/personalsites/ProfMimiAjzenstadt.aspx#ee "Mimi Ajzenstadt, Professor,"] The Open University of Israel.
Death
In February 1988, Berger suffered a stroke and died a week later at Mount Sinai Hospital in Minneapolis.{{cite news |author1=Pat Pheifer |title=Ben Berger dies; owned 19 theaters, sports teams |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/star-tribune-ben-berger-obit-1988-p-1/13003640/ |access-date=8 September 2024 |work=Star Tribune |date=10 February 1988 |pages=1A, [https://newspapers.com/article/star-tribune/144331442/ 5A] |via=Newspapers.com}}{{open access}}
References
{{Reflist|30em|refs=https://www.amazon.com/Thank-you-America-biography-Benjamin/dp/0875182364}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Berger, Ben}}
Category:National Basketball League (United States) owners
Category:Businesspeople from Minneapolis
Category:Los Angeles Lakers owners
Category:American people of Polish-Jewish descent
Category:Emigrants from Congress Poland to the United States