Michael Shanahan (October 29, 1939 – January 15, 2018) was a businessman,

defense contractor The arms industry, also known as the arms trade, is a global industry which manufactures and sells weapons and military technology. It consists of a commercial industry involved in the research and development, engineering, production, and serv ...

, and part-owner of an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

professional hockey Professional ice hockey (hockey) is the competition of ice hockey in which participants are paid to play. Professional competition began in North America in the United States in Pennsylvania and Michigan and in Canada around 1900. Professional ice ...

franchise Franchise may refer to: Business and law * Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees * Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...

, the

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the s ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL), from 1986 through 1990. He grew up as a son of a truck driver in University City and was a star athlete at Mercy High School. He attended St. Louis University, where he was a

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

star on Billikens soccer teams that won national championships in

1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...

and

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

. After graduating, he worked at McDonnell Douglas Automation Co., Numerical Control Inc., and Cleveland Pneumatic Co. In 1981, he co-founded Engineered Air Systems. The following year, EAS acquired

Allis-Chalmers Allis-Chalmers was a U.S. manufacturer of machinery for various industries. Its business lines included agricultural equipment, construction equipment, power generation and power transmission equipment, and machinery for use in industrial setti ...

Corporation's Defense Systems Division. In 1983, he incorporated Engineered Support Systems Inc. as a holding company for the defense contracting division, and served as its president, CEO, and chairman until 2005. ESSI produced ground equipment for the military, including nuclear, biological, and chemical defense systems; environmental control systems; and water and petroleum distribution systems. In 1986, Mayor Vincent C. Schoemehl asked if he would be interested in helping give the Blues local ownership. “That’s a question you don’t expect,” Shanahan later recalled. “But we began discussing it, and I got involved.” Shanahan led an investment group that purchased the Blues from California businessman

Harry Ornest Harry Ornest (June 30, 1923 – July 21, 1998) was a sports entrepreneur who once owned the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; f ...

in December 1986, when Ornest was in talks to move the team to

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

(

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

). At the same time, the city purchased the

St. Louis Arena St. Louis Arena (known as the Checkerdome from 1977 to 1983) was an indoor arena in St. Louis, Missouri. The country's second-largest indoor entertainment venue when it opened in 1929, it was home to the St. Louis Blues and other sports franchis ...

(1929-1999) from Ornest. His gregarious personality and daring management style made him one of the most popular executives in the region's sports history. Under his leadership in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the St. Louis Blues regained their standing as a mainstream sports attraction. In 1990, Shanahan sold his 10-percent ownership stake to an investment group called Kiel Center Partners, which built a new downtown arena in 1994. Shanahan stayed on as team chairman until 1995, when he was replaced by former Cardinals executive Jerry Ritter. Shanahan donated more than $10 million to mostly St. Louis charitable efforts personally and through the Shanahan Family Foundation. The atrium at the business school at St. Louis University, his alma mater, is named after him. He was inducted into the St. Louis University Billikens Hall of Fame in 1994 and the

Missouri Sports Hall of Fame The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is located in Springfield, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1994 by Springfield businessman John Q. Hammons, the Hall of Fame is housed in a two-story, 32,000-square-foot building. On display are more than 4,0 ...

in 1997. He died after a fall on January 15, 2018, aged 78. He was survived by his wife Mary Anne, his son Michael Junior, his daughters Meg and Maureen and his 13 grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shanahan, Mike 1939 births 2018 deaths American sports owners American soccer players Soccer players from St. Louis National Hockey League owners Saint Louis Billikens men's soccer players Sports owners Association football defenders