DOLAN, LAWRENCE J. “LARRY” (8 February 1931-24 February 2025) was an attorney and former owner of the CLEVELAND INDIANS/GUARDIANS.
Dolan was the youngest of four sons of David and Corinne Dolan. He attended St. Ann’s Elementary School and ST. IGNATIUS HIGH SCHOOL, excelling in football and baseball for the Wildcats. He attended Notre Dame University, earning a bachelor’s degree and a juris doctorate. While there, he met and married Eva Haas. They had six children: Paul, Mark, Mary, Matthew, Joan and Carol, and 21 grandchildren, and remained married until his death.
Following college, Dolan joined the U.S. Marine Corps, working as an attorney in the JAG Corps. He returned home to Northeast Ohio and served as an assistant Geauga County prosecutor before establishing a private practice, Thrasher, Dinsmore and Dolan, where he became managing partner.
Dolan’s invested in real estate and cable television, as his brother Charles was a pioneer in the industry, founding HBO and Cablevision. They also invested in sports with Larry and Charles combining to bid to buy the CLEVELAND BROWNS as an expansion team in 1998, ultimately losing out to Al LERNER. Larry Dolan also made overtures to buy the Cincinnati Reds before successfully buying the Indians for $323 million from DICK JACOBS in 2000. The Dolan family would go on to become the longest-tenured owner of the team in its history, exceeding ALVA BRADLEY’s 19 years of ownership. Dolan ceded day-to-day control of the team to his son Paul in 2013.
Larry Dolan won St. Ignatius's Distinguished Alumni Award in 2012, was inducted into the GREATER CLEVELAND SPORTS HALL OF FAME in 2014, and the Dolan family received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards in 2020. He was also active in local philanthropy, including the CLEVELAND FOUNDATION, the AMERICAN RED CROSS and CATHOLIC CHARITIES, as well as his alma mater of St. Ignatius.
Vincent Guerrieri