Robert Schmertz (November 15, 1926 – July 24, 1975) was an American real estate developer and sports franchise owner. He was owner or part-owner of two NBA franchises; the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

from 1970 through 1972, and the Boston Celtics from 1972 until 1975. He also owned the

New England Whalers 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 ...

of the

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association (french: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

, and the New York Stars of the now-defunct World Football League. Schmertz also founded Leisure Technology, a developer of

retirement communities A retirement community is a residential community or housing complex designed for older adults who are generally able to care for themselves; however, assistance from home care agencies is allowed in some communities, and activities and socializ ...

Biography

Born to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family,HistoryLink: "Washington's Jewish Sports Heroes: Herman Sarkowsky (1925-2014)"
retrieved Jube 3, 2015 Schmertz attended Hackensack High School, where he played center on the school's basketball team. The school inducted him into its Sports Hall of Fame in 1973. In 1970, Schmertz along with his friends

Larry Weinberg Larry Weinberg (January 23, 1926 – January 1, 2019)

and

Herman Sarkowsky Herman Sarkowsky (June 9, 1925 – November 2, 2014) was a Seattle, Washington, United States businessman, philanthropist, thoroughbred breeder, and former sports executive. He was a co-founder of two Pacific Northwest sports franchises, the Portl ...

paid $3.7MM to secure an NBA expansion team for Portland. In 1975, Schmertz was indicted by a

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

grand jury on bribery charges Schmertz pleaded innocent to the charges. In July of that year, he suffered a stroke and died on July 24. Leisure Technology would become a major developer of retirement communities, but would go

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

in 1991. Prior to his death in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, Schmertz lived in

Lakewood Township, New Jersey Lakewood Township is the most populous township in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A rapidly growing community as of the 2020 U.S. census, the township had a total population of 135,158 representing an increase of 41,415 (+45.5 ...

.via

United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20t ...

"Bulls' Bid Denied"
''

Times-Union (Indiana) Times-Union or Times Union may refer to: Newspapers * ''Times Union'' (Albany), Albany, New York (under this name since 1891) * ''Brooklyn Times-Union'', Brooklyn, New York (1932–1937 under this name) * ''The Florida Times-Union'', Jacksonvil ...

'', July 12, 1972. Accessed February 10, 2011. "Robert Schmertz, a real estate executive from Lakewood, has received unanimous approval from the National Basketball Association Board of Governors to purchase the Boston Celtics, but another group was rejected in its bid to buy the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

References

1926 births 1975 deaths American real estate businesspeople Boston Celtics owners Hackensack High School alumni Hartford Whalers executives Jewish American sportspeople Portland Trail Blazers executives Portland Trail Blazers owners National Basketball Association executives National Basketball Association owners People from Hackensack, New Jersey World Football League executives World Hockey Association executives 20th-century American businesspeople Sportspeople from Lakewood Township, New Jersey {{business-bio-stub