Major League Baseball Team Owner. He was the owner of the Cleveland Indians. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, when the Indians franchise was floundering in the early 1970s, he led a group of 50 business owners in buying the team. The group lost money each year, but he used his own money to keep the team in town. In 1974, he hired Frank Robinson as the first African American manager in the Major Leagues. He sold the Indians in 1979, but remained a minority holder and was instrumental in having Jacobs Field built as the new Indians ball park. He also is credited with helping bring the National Basketball Association's Cavaliers and minor league franchises in soccer, hockey and tennis to northeast Ohio. He is enshrined in the Cleveland Sports and Cleveland Business Halls of Fames.
Major League Baseball Team Owner. He was the owner of the Cleveland Indians. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, when the Indians franchise was floundering in the early 1970s, he led a group of 50 business owners in buying the team. The group lost money each year, but he used his own money to keep the team in town. In 1974, he hired Frank Robinson as the first African American manager in the Major Leagues. He sold the Indians in 1979, but remained a minority holder and was instrumental in having Jacobs Field built as the new Indians ball park. He also is credited with helping bring the National Basketball Association's Cavaliers and minor league franchises in soccer, hockey and tennis to northeast Ohio. He is enshrined in the Cleveland Sports and Cleveland Business Halls of Fames.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
Family Members
Advertisement
See more Bonda memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
