Paul Dolan (baseball)
{{Short description|American sports executive (born 1958)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{infobox person
| name = Paul Dolan
| image = File:Larry Doby Statue Ceremony (19825888938).jpg
| image_size =
| alt = Paul J. Dolan speaking at a lectern
| caption = Paul J. Dolan At the Larry Doby statue unveiling ceremony in 2015
| birth_name = Paul Joseph Dolan
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1958|7|7}}{{cite web|url=https://www.familysearch.org/search/record/results?count=20&query=%2Bgivenname%3APaul~%20%2Bsurname%3ADolan~%20%2Bbirth_place%3AOhio~%20%2Bbirth_year%3A1957-1961~|title=Birth reference search results for Paul Joseph Dolan|work=FamilySearch.org|access-date=February 22, 2018}}
| birth_place = Chardon, Ohio, U.S.
| children = Peter Dolan and Lawrence Dolan
| father = Larry J. Dolan
| relatives = Charles Dolan (uncle)
Matt Dolan (brother)
James L. Dolan (cousin)
| occupation = Attorney
| known_for = Cleveland Guardians Owner/Chairman/CEO
| years_active =
| website = {{URL|https://www.mlb.com/guardians}}
}}
Paul Joseph Dolan (born July 7, 1958) is an American attorney and Major League Baseball (MLB) team executive who is the owner, chairman, and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Cleveland Guardians. Dolan is also the "control person" for the team. {{cite web|url=http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/team/front_office.jsp?c_id=cle|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070213174435/http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/team/front_office.jsp?c_id=cle|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 13, 2007|title=Indians front office|publisher=Cleveland Indians|access-date=April 25, 2014}}{{cite web|author=Bastian, Jordan|date=January 10, 2013|title=CEO Dolan approved as Indians' control person|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130110&content_id=40917348&c_id=mlb|work=MLB.com|publisher=Major League Baseball|access-date=February 12, 2014|quote=On Thursday, Major League owners voted during a quarterly ownership meeting to formally approve the designation of chairman/CEO Paul J. Dolan as the 'control person' for the Cleveland Guardians, Commissioner Bud Selig announced.}}
Early life
Dolan was born and raised in the Cleveland, Ohio, suburb of Chardon, as one of six children of Larry J. and Eva Dolan. Dolan attended high school at the Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills, Ohio, and upon graduation attended college at St. Lawrence University, and upon graduation went on to earn his Juris Doctor at Notre Dame Law School in 1983.
Career
After graduating from law school, Dolan was hired as an attorney for his father's law firm (Thrasher, Dinsmore, and Dolan), eventually becoming a partner in 1992.{{cite web|url=http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=26745517&ticker=SJM|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140212061208/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=26745517&ticker=SJM|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 12, 2014|title=Dolan bio|publisher=Business Week|access-date=April 25, 2014}}
In 2000, Lawrence J. Dolan purchased the Cleveland Guardians baseball team. Upon his father taking control of the team, Dolan was hired as a vice president and general counsel. In 2004, Dolan was promoted to team president, and in 2011 promoted again to chairman/CEO.{{cite web|url=http://cleveland.cbslocal.com/2013/01/10/paul-dolan-officially-approved-as-control-person-of-the-indians|title=Dolan named Indians "Control Person"|publisher=WKRK-FM|access-date=April 25, 2014}}
In 2013, Dolan was approved by the team owners of MLB as the "control person" of the Guardians; the Associated Press describes this new role as "controlling owner". This new designation means that Dolan oversees the day to day team operations, and is responsible for compliance with MLB rules and regulations.{{cite web|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mlb/news/20130110/paul-dolan-cleveland-indians-owner.ap/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130114054732/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mlb/news/20130110/paul-dolan-cleveland-indians-owner.ap/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 14, 2013|title=Dolan named Indians "Controlling Owner"|publisher=Sports Illustrated|access-date=April 25, 2014}}
Though officially listed as Owner/Chairman/CEO by the team, as the team is considered to be a family asset due to being purchased through various Dolan Family trusts.{{cite web|url=http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2000/01/7/Franchises/DOLANS-TRUST-OWNERSHIP-OF-INDIANS-REVEALED-IN-SEC-REPORT.aspx|title=Details of Dolan Family ownership|publisher=Sports Business Daily|access-date=June 8, 2014}}{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=4381129|title=Indians owner defends recent trades|publisher=ESPN|access-date=June 8, 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/index.ssf/2014/03/cleveland_indians_ceo_paul_dol.html|title=Pluto interviews Dolan|publisher=Cleveland Plain Dealer|access-date=June 8, 2014}} Dolan's father, who was still regarded as official owner of the Cleveland Guardians, would die in February 2025.{{cite news|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/larry-dolan-dies|title=Guardians owner Larry Dolan, a true fan at heart, dies at 94|first=Mandy|last=Bell|publisher=MLB.com|date=February 24, 2025|accessdate=February 25, 2025}} At this time, the MLB reported that Paul was "the only one of" Larry J. Dolan's "six children to be that closely involved in the baseball team."
Family
Dolan's son Peter was selected by the Guardians in the 33rd round of the 2014 MLB Draft as a third baseman out of Gilmour Academy.{{cite web|url=http://www.morningjournal.com//sports/20140608/jim-ingrahams-baseball-notes-indians-take-power-pitchers-familiar-names-on-final-day-of-2014-draft|title=Indians draft Dolan|publisher=Lorain Morning Journal|access-date=June 8, 2014}} His brother Matt was a state senator in Ohio, and his cousin James is owner of the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Awards and honors
(as a member of the Guardians ownership and front office)
- American League champion (2016)
- 7x American League Central division champion (2001, 2007, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2024)
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://cplorg.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4014coll27/id/1829/rec/27 Sports Icon Series 28: Paul Dolan interviewed by Daniel Coughlin on February 24, 2016. ([https://archive.org/details/SportsIconSeriesPaulDolan audio only])
- [https://www.CLEGUARDIANS.COM Guardians official website]
{{Cleveland Guardians owners}}
{{Cleveland Guardians Presidents}}
{{Cleveland Guardians}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dolan, Paul J.}}
Category:Cleveland Indians executives
Category:People from Chardon, Ohio
Category:Major League Baseball team presidents
Category:American chief executives of professional sports organizations