Below is a compilation of reactions from people throughout the Yankees organization and the rest of the world.
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“He was an incredible and charitable man. First and foremost he was devoted to his entire family – his beloved wife, Joan; his sisters, Susan Norpell and Judy Kamm, his children, Hank, Jennifer, Jessica and Hal; and all of his grandchildren. He was a visionary and a giant in the world of sports. He took a great but struggling franchise and turned it into a champion again.” –Steinbrenner family statement
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“Our hearts and prayers go out to the entire Steinbrenner family. This is a sad day not only for Yankee fans, but for our entire City, as few people have had a bigger impact on New York over the past four decades than George Steinbrenner. George had a deep love for New York, and his steely determination to succeed – combined with his deep respect and appreciation for talent and hard work – made him a quintessential New Yorker.
“George invested his heart and soul into the Yankees, and his competitive fire helped usher in new eras of Yankee greatness, reclaiming the team’s long tradition of excellence and its position as the most successful franchise in the history of American sports. He was a champion who made New York a better place, and who always gave back to the city he loved. He has left an indelible legacy on the Yankees, on baseball, and on our city, and he leaves us in the only way that would be appropriate: as a reigning world champion.” – Mayor Mike Bloomberg
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George M. Steinbrenner III, the most visible, vilified and successful baseball owner of the free-agency era, died on Tuesday morning following a massive heart attack.
In his heyday he was known as many things — most notably, as a bad loser — but there is no denying that he made the Yankees into a winner. He was the shipbuilding magnate who bought the ball club for a relative pittance ($10 million in 1973) from CBS and restored the Yankee brand to its former glory. During his reign as owner, Steinbrenner’s Yankees won 11 American League pennants and seven world championships, more than any other team in that span. The franchise’s value soared into more than a billion as it became the staple product of its own cable network while still leading the big leagues in attendance year after year.
Along the way he exerted his will in an indomitable fashion, displaying legendary impatience and volatility. He bought out his 13 limited partners by the end of his first decade as owner, prompting John McMullen, who later owned the Houston Astros, to say, “Nothing is more limited than being a limited partner of George’s.” During his first 20 years with the Yankees, Steinbrenner hired and fired 21 managers, including Billy Martin five times. Before the 1982 season, Steinbrenner announced that manager Bob Lemon should feel secure in his job; Lemon was fired 14 games into the season. Two years later, Steinbrenner talked about his manager, Yogi Berra, before the season again and said “Yogi will be the manager the entire season, win or lose.” After 16 games, Berra was fired. He would not return to Yankee Stadium for 14 years.
…One former employee of the Yankees told Steinbrenner biographer Dick Schaap, “George Steinbrenner doesn’t want to be loved, and he doesn’t want to be hated, George Steinbrenner wants to be feared.”
“Sometimes,” Steinbrenner once told a reporter, “as much as I don’t want to — I have to inflict pain. But I also inflict some joy.” – Alex Belth.
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“The news of the passing of George Steinbrenner was very saddening," Lyle said this morning. "I admired the man tremendously. He was the one who brought the Yankees back to prominence. All the little things that went on during his first years of ownership were growing pains for him and he is one of those guys that will be missed a lot.” – Sparky Lyle
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“This is a very sad day for me and Carmen and all of baseball. My sympathies go out to the Steinbrenner family.
“George was The Boss, make no mistake. He built the Yankees into champions and that’s something nobody can ever deny. He was a very generous, caring, passionate man. George and I had our differences, but who didn’t? We became great friends over the last decade and I will miss him very much.” – Yogi Berra
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“There’s not question that the passing of George leaves a tremendous void for the Yankees and for baseball. He really changed things in the order of baseball after he bought the Yankees in 1973, and basically it’s turned out so great for baseball. His vision was to spend money to make money.
“I’ve heard one million George Steinbrenner stories of things he did for people that would bring a tear to your eye. So he was a combination. Was he a tough boss? Boy, you bet he was. But he also had the softest side to him. In my own way, I really loved him. He took care of so many people in so many ways. I’m really very sad today, but he did phenomenal things for the Yankees.” – John Sterling
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“Anybody who knows what the Yankees were like before there was a George Steinbrenner certainly knows what he did on the field. He was a remarkable man. He had one thing in mind always and that was building a team and bringing championships to the city of New York.
“His legacy is going to be something that is so far reaching, and you’re going to read in the coming days about what he was like. I don’t think we’re ever going to see a person like this again.” – Suzyn Waldman
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“On behalf of Baseball, I am very saddened by the passing this morning of George Steinbrenner. George was a giant of the game and his devotion to baseball was surpassed only by his devotion to his family and his beloved New York Yankees. He was and always will be as much of a New York Yankee as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford and all of the other Yankee legends.” – Bud Selig
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“I am deeply saddened to hear the news of George Steinbrenner’s passing. His vision, passion and commitment to winning, recharged the New York Yankees and revolutionized the game. I remember a man driven to succeed. He was the owner, “The Boss” and number one fan of the Yankees. Our relationship was built on mutual respect. I will never forget and always be grateful for how he treated me and my family both during my playing days and after I retired. I will miss him very much and extend my deepest condolences to his wife, Joan, and all the members of the Steinbrenner family.” – Don Mattingly
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“We lost a great person, a great leader and a great American. There will never be anyone like George Steinbrenner...” – Randy Levine
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“It’s only fitting that he went out as a world champ.” – Joe Torre
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I’ll continue to update this post as more reactions become available. In the mean time, check out more reactions compiled by the New York Times, reactions compiled by the Daily News, a timeline of his life.
