Francis J. "Steve" O'Neill (September 18, 1899 – August 29, 1983) was the principal owner of the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

of the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

from through . In 1978, O'Neill purchased the Indians from the ownership group headed by

Ted Bonda Alva Theodore Bonda (1917 - October 22, 2005) was the president of the Cleveland Indians from 1973 to 1978. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, which also served as his death place. He was a partner in Nick Mileti's ownership group who assumed control o ...

. After his death, O'Neill's estate owned the team until Richard Jacobs purchased the Indians in 1986. O'Neill was a lifelong resident of

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

. His family made its fortune in the trucking business. He bought a minority interest in the Indians in 1961, and was a limited partner during the tenures of

William R. Daley William R. Daley (September 26, 1892 – October 21, 1971) was a businessman and owner of two franchises in Major League Baseball's American League. He was born in Ashtabula, Ohio in 1892. Daley was the principal owner of the Cleveland Indians fro ...

Gabe Paul Gabriel Howard Paul (January 4, 1910 – April 26, 1998) was an American executive in Major League Baseball who, between 1951 and 1984, served as general manager of the Cincinnati Reds, Houston Colt .45s, Cleveland Indians and New York Yanke ...

, and

Vernon Stouffer Vernon Bigelow Stouffer (August 22, 1901 – July 26, 1974) was an American entrepreneur, philanthropist & businessman. Stouffer graduated from The Wharton School in 1923. He was the founder and president of the Stouffer Hotels Co., Stouffer Fr ...

. In 1973, however, he sold his Indians interest to become a limited partner in

George Steinbrenner George Michael Steinbrenner III (July 4, 1930July 13, 2010) was an American businessman who was the principal owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees from 1973 until his death in 2010. He was the longest-serving own ...

's syndicate that bought the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

. Five years later, he sold off his Yankees interest and bought a 63 percent stake in the Indians. He was the controlling partner of the team until his death in 1983. O'Neill attended the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

, where he played basketball.

References

Cleveland Indians ownersO'Neill's entry in the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History
1899 births 1983 deaths Cleveland Indians executives Businesspeople from Cleveland Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball players American men's basketball players 20th-century American businesspeople {{baseball-business-bio-stub