Franklin Mieuli
Franklin Mieuli | |
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Born | owner of Golden State Warriors, minority co-owner of the San Francisco 49ers and the San Francisco Giants | September 14, 1920
Franklin Mieuli (/ˈmjuːli/ MEW-lee; September 14, 1920 – April 25, 2010) was a San Francisco Bay Area radio and television producer who was best known as the principal owner of the San Francisco / Golden State Warriors from 1962 to 1986.[1] The pinnacle of his 24 years with the franchise was its National Basketball Association (NBA) Championship in 1975. He was also a minority shareholder in both the San Francisco 49ers and Giants.
An
Early years
Mieuli, the second son of Italian immigrants from
Mieuli graduated from San Jose High School and the University of Oregon, in 1940 and 1944, respectively.[3][4]
In the early 1950s, Mieuli was the local promotions man for Burgermeister Beer ("Burgie"). His association with the 49ers led him to land the team's star fullback, Joe "The Jet" Perry, on his own sports and music radio program, "Both Sides Of The Record", sponsored by Burgie, on R&B-formatted KWBR (1310 AM; later known as KDIA) beginning in 1954.
Mieuli also produced the 49ers radio broadcasts on KSFO beginning in the 1950s, and produced the first televised 49ers game in 1954. He subsequently produced Giants radio broadcasts, hosted by Russ Hodges and Lon Simmons upon the team's move from New York by owner Horace Stoneham in 1958.
Mieuli was influential in the hiring of sportscaster Bill King, initially the third man in the Giants broadcast booth in 1958, behind Hodges and Simmons. Upon Mieuli's purchase of the Warriors in 1962, King left Giants radio to become play-by-play voice of the newly minted "San Francisco Warriors". Coincidentally, at the time of Mieuli's purchase of the team, he was still producing the KSFO broadcasts of the Giants, 49ers, and the Warriors.
In 1956, Mieuli purchased five reel-to-reel audiotape duplicators from
On January 8, 1958, Mieuli was granted a construction permit for a new
KPUP's call letters were changed to the jazzier-sounding KHIP in July 1960. To help finance his purchase of the Warriors, Mieuli sold KHIP to
Golden State Warriors
Mieuli, along with 32 other local investors, was part of a
His 24-year ownership of the Warriors was moderately successful on the court, as the team made the
Mieuli played a major role in breaking down racial barriers in the NBA by encouraging his team's front office to sign players regardless of
Mieuli sold the Warriors to Jim Fitzgerald and Daniel Finnane on May 23, 1986.[11]
Later career
Until his death in 2010,[12] Mieuli retained a 10% share of the 49ers, an investment that dates back to 1954. In addition to his role with Franklin Mieuli & Associates, which handles broadcast engineering for thirty pro and college sports teams, he was an active member of the San Francisco chapter of Broadcast Legends, and was inducted into the National Television Academy/Northern California Chapter's Gold Circle in 2006, honoring him for his significant contributions to local television during a career spanning more than fifty years.
In 2007, Mieuli was inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame as a member of the second class to be honored. He was the recipient of five Super Bowl rings as a part-owner of the 49ers, as well as one NBA Championship trophy as the owner of the Warriors. He died at a hospital in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2010.[2]
His firm, Franklin Mieuli & Associates, continues to produce radio broadcasts for many professional teams in the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB; as well as NCAA teams.
References
- ^ "Will Franklin Mieuli spoil success?" Sports Illustrated
- ^ a b Weber, Bruce [http://www.BARHOF.com "Franklin Mieuli, Offbeat N.B.A. Owner, Dies at 89" The New York Times, Tuesday, April 27, 2010
- ^ The Bell Staff. San Jose, California: San Jose High School. 1940. p. 73.
- ^ "PASSINGS: Franklin Mieuli, Ron Scalera". Los Angeles Times. April 26, 2010. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
- ^ a b c Bush, David "A tip of the cap: There's still more to Mieuli than meets the eye" San Francisco Chronicle, Wednesday, May 4, 2005
- ^ a b Shouler, Ken; Ryan, Bob; Smith, Sam; Koppett, Leonard & Bellotti, Bob. Total Basketball: The Ultimate Basketball Encyclopedia. Wilmington, Delaware: Sport Media Publishing Inc., 2003.
- ^ San Francisco Warriors (1962–63 roster & statistics) – Basketball-Reference.com.
- ^ Golden State Warriors (franchise index) – Basketball-Reference.com.
- ^ Thompson II, Marcus "Ex-Warriors owner Franklin Mieuli dies at 89" The Oakland Tribune, Monday, April 26, 2010
- ^ Official NBA Guide. 2003–2004 Edition. St. Louis, Missouri: The Sporting News, 2003.
- ^ Golden State Warriors 2005–06 Media Guide: 148. Archived 2012-11-08 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Ex-Warriors owner Franklin Mieuli dies at 89" SF Gate