Former Bucks' owner Fitzgerald passes away
Wisconsin Sports-- Funeral services will be held Thursday in Janesville for Jim Fitzgerald, who owned the Milwaukee Bucks during one of the most successful periods in team history. The 86-year-old Fitzgerald died yesterday at his Janesville home following a long illness.
MILWAUKEE - Funeral services will be held Thursday in Janesville for Jim Fitzgerald, who owned the Milwaukee Bucks during one of the most successful periods in team history. The 86-year-old Fitzgerald died yesterday at his Janesville home following a long illness.
He owned the Bucks from 1976 until ’85, when his group sold the team to Herb Kohl. Bucks’ vice president John Steinmiller said Fitzgerald brought a “family culture” to the organization, and it still exists today.
One of Fitzgerald’s first moves was to hire Don Nelson as the Bucks’ coach to replace Larry Costello in ’76. Nelson said he didn’t think he was ready to be a head coach, and Fitzgerald talked him into it. Nellie led Milwaukee to seven straight NBA division titles as part of the team’s 12 consecutive playoff appearances. He said he had a handshake agreement to work for Fitzgerald, calling him the most wonderful man he ever met.
Tags: wisconsin sports, proam, basketball, bucks
More from around the web
RSS Feeds