Carl Pohlad

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Pohlad's path to ownership began in Valley Junction, Iowa, where he was born to Slovak parents. After dropping out of Gonzaga University following his football season, he served in Europe during World War II, missing the Normandy Invasion due to poison oak but still earning a Purple Heart and Bronze Star for wounds sustained in battle. His career started with foreclosing farms during the Great Depression before he built a banking empire, eventually selling Marquette Bank to First Bank System in 1993. In late 1991, he also saved the Twin City Rapid Transit from Fred A. Ossanna. His ownership of the Twins began in 1984 when he paid $32 million for Calvin and Thelma Griffith's controlling stake and $11.5 million for H. Gabriel Murphy's interest. The franchise had been with the Griffith family since 1919, but Pohlad secured its future in Minnesota.

In Their Own Story

The air was thick with history when Pohlad finalized his purchase of the Twins in 1984. He paid a total of $43.5 million to end the Griffith family's 65-year hold on the franchise, buying out Calvin and Thelma Griffith Haynes for their majority stake and H. Gabriel Murphy for his minority interest. The gamble paid off immediately; just three years later in 1987, the Twins won their first World Series in Minnesota and only the second in franchise history. They followed this with another title in 1991. However, ownership was not without peril. In 1997, Pohlad nearly sold the team to Don Beaver, who planned to move it to North Carolina's Piedmont Triad, but a failed stadium referendum and lack of interest in Charlotte killed the deal. By 2001, he even offered to sell the franchise back to Major League Baseball for $150 million as part of a contraction plan, though a court order binding the team to the Metrodome lease prevented it.

Reader's Guide

For fans seeking history on Pohlad's tenure, key dates include his purchase in 1984 and his death on January 5, 2009. His sons James, Robert, and William all serve as Executive Board Members of the Twins. A bronze statue installed at Target Field in 2010 honors him alongside his wife, Mary Eloise O'Rourke (who died in 2003), featuring a plaque with his quote: "The great thing about baseball is the way it brings families and a community together." Financial records show he was tied for the 107th richest person in the US in 2006 with $2.6 billion, rising to $3.6 billion (ranked 102nd) by 2009. Beyond baseball, Pohlad held controlling interests in PepsiAmericas and owned stations like KTWN FM and JB Hudson's Jewelers. His legacy includes the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement in 1984 and his induction into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame in 2005.

Did You Know?

• Carl Pohlad was scheduled to participate in the D-Day Normandy Invasion but missed it due to a case of poison oak.
• He was awarded both the Purple Heart and a Bronze Star Medal for his service in World War II.
• In 2001, Pohlad offered to sell the Twins to Major League Baseball for $150 million as part of a plan that would have folded the team.
• A bronze statue installed at Target Field in 2010 depicts both Carl and his wife Mary Eloise O'Rourke.
• Pohlad owned a portion of the Minnesota Vikings from the mid-1980s until 1991.