Alan Norman Cohen (December 19, 1930 – August 10, 2004) was the former co-owner of the
Boston Celtics and the
New Jersey Nets
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
, and chairman and CEO of the
Madison Square Garden Corporation, owner of the
New York Knicks and the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
.
Biography
Born to a
Jewish family, Cohen graduated from
Columbia College in 1952 and
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...
in 1954.
[Business Wire: "Alan N. Cohen, Former Sports Franchise Owner and Communications Executive Dies at Age 73"]
August 11, 2004 While attending Columbia College, Cohen was initiated into the Delta Chapter of Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity. After school, he served in the
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
and then went to work for Paul, Weiss, Rifkin, Wharton and Garrison in 1957 becoming a partner of the firm in 1964. In 1970 he accepted a position at Warner Communications (now
WarnerMedia
Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States.
It was originally established in 1972 by ...
) as executive vice president where he was responsible for
Atlantic Records,
Elektra Records, and
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
.
He joined with a group of investors including Warner CEO
Steve Ross and purchased the
New York Cosmos New York Cosmos may refer to
* New York Cosmos (1970–1985), a team in the North American Soccer League (then the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada)
* New York Cosmos (2010), a team playing since 2020 in the National Independ ...
,
which made international headlines by signing superstar
Pelé.
In 1974 he became chairman and CEO of Madison Square Garden Corporation, a public corporation which owned the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers.
In 1978, Cohen and a group of investors purchased the
New Jersey Nets
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
basketball team. In 1983, he sold his interest in the Nets, and together with his partners,
Don Gaston
Donald F. Gaston (August 5, 1934–June 11, 2021) was an American businessman who served as an Executive Vice President of Gulf and Western Industries and Chairman of the Boston Celtics.
Early life
Gaston was born and raised in Nacogdoches, Texas. ...
and Paul Dupee, purchased the
Boston Celtics. The Celtics won the NBA championship in 1984 and 1986, with superstar players
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded a ...
,
Kevin McHale, and
Robert Parish.
From 1985 to 1987, he served as chairman of the NBA Board of Governors helping to pioneer the concept of the
salary cap
In professional sports, a salary cap (or wage cap) is an agreement or rule that places a limit on the amount of money that a team can spend on players' salaries. It exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both. Sever ...
.
While not known as an innovator, Cohen did come up with the idea of placing revolving advertisements courtside at
NBA games. He was the founding Chairman of ANC Sports in
Purchase, New York, a provider of rotational and LED signage at sports facilities; and served as co-chairman of Sportsco International which owns the
SkyDome stadium in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
.
Philanthropy
Cohen served as a trustee or director of various entities including the Independence House, a youth offender rehabilitation facility; the
Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre; the
International Center for Photography
The International Center of Photography (ICP), at 79 Essex Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City, consists of a museum for photography and visual culture and a school offering an array of educational courses and programming. ...
;
Haifa University
The University of Haifa ( he, אוניברסיטת חיפה Arabic: جامعة حيفا) is a university located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Founded in 1963, the University of Haifa received full academic accreditation in 1972, becoming I ...
;
American Friends of the Hebrew University; the Educational Alliance;
Columbia College;
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...
; and the Graduate School of Management of the
New School
The New School is a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for progressive thinkers. ...
. He also served as the director of the American Friends of
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...
. He received Columbia University's
John Jay Award and was elected to
Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. In 2001, Cohen was elected to the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County.
Personal life
Cohen was married twice. He had two children, Laurie Cohen Fenster and Gordon Cohen, with his first wife Joan Fields Cohen, who died in 1989; and one child, Rebecca Cohen, with his second wife Carol Cohen. Cohen died in
Boca Raton, Florida, of
idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), or (formerly) fibrosing alveolitis, is a rare, progressive illness of the respiratory system, characterized by the thickening and stiffening of lung tissue, associated with the formation of scar tissue. It is ...
. Services were held at the
Park Avenue Synagogue
The Park Avenue Synagogue ( he, אגודת ישרים, ''Agudat Yesharim'', The Association of the Righteous) is a Conservative Jewish congregation located at 50 East 87th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 188 ...
in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cohen, Alan N.
1930 births
2004 deaths
American sports businesspeople
People from Passaic, New Jersey
Sportspeople from Boca Raton, Florida
Basketball players from Palm Beach County, Florida
Columbia Law School alumni
National Basketball Association executives
New Jersey Nets owners
New Jersey Nets executives
Boston Celtics owners
Boston Celtics executives
National Basketball Association owners
American chief executives
Columbia College (New York) alumni