William Shea

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William Shea
Shea in 1959
Born	William Alfred Shea (1907-06-21)June 21, 1907 New York City, U.S.
Died	October 2, 1991(1991-10-02) (aged 84) New York City, U.S.
Alma mater	Georgetown University (AB, LLB)
Occupations	Lawyer sports team owner

William Alfred Shea (

Born in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, Shea attended George Washington High School.^[1][2] He began undergraduate work at New York University where he was admitted to the Zeta Psi fraternity, and later graduated from Georgetown University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1930 and the Georgetown Law School, receiving his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1931.^[1][2] He was a member of the Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team for three years and played one year for the Georgetown Hoyas football team.^[2] Shea's sister was actress Gloria Shea. It was Gloria who paid for Bill's time at Georgetown University.^{[citation needed]}

Shea worked for two state insurance bureaucracies before entering private practice in 1940. During this time, he worked with owners of the

Major League Baseball

William Shea was honored alongside the retired numbers of the New York Mets in 2008.

In 1958, one year after the

The threat of a third major league forced Major League Baseball to discuss expansion. Two teams would be added to the American League in 1961: the second incarnation of the Washington Senators — now the Texas Rangers — and the Los Angeles Angels (now in Anaheim), and two more to the National League in 1962 (the New York Mets and the Houston Colt .45s (now the Houston Astros). With New York virtually assured of one of the new teams, Shea abandoned the idea of the Continental League. The New York Mets played their first game on April 11, 1962.

In 1964, the City of New York named the new stadium in which the Mets were to play in Shea's honor — Shea Stadium. In 2008, the New York Mets retired the name "Shea" on the outfield wall of Shea Stadium alongside the other elite players and managers whom the Mets have deemed worthy of such an honor over the years (Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza, Gil Hodges, Casey Stengel, and Jackie Robinson, retired by all teams at the request of Major League Baseball). The honor was carried over to Citi Field, the new home of the Mets, with the other players' and managers' numbers.

As of 2017, there are approximately 39 individuals who have been admitted to the Executives & Pioneers Division of the Hall of Fame. Of the 15 honored individuals admitted to the Executives & Pioneers Division of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame post-World War II, Shea served as a friend, an advisor, a peer, and as counsel to no fewer than two-thirds thereof (

Shea was integral to bringing the New Jersey Americans of the American Basketball Association to Long Island in 1968 and arranging for them to play as the Nets in the Nassau County (they are now based in Brooklyn), as well as the absorption of four American Basketball Association teams into the National Basketball Association in 1976.

Shea died at age 84 on October 2, 1991, from complications of a stroke he had suffered two years earlier.^[1] In 1992, the Mets wore a memorial patch on the left sleeve to honor Shea's memory.

• On April 8, 2008, the New York Mets retired the name "Shea" alongside other retired numbers in honor of William Shea and the closing of Shea Stadium.
• On November 21, 2009, the Mets announced that the pedestrian bridge located in the outfield section of Citi Field, Shea Stadium's successor, would be named "Shea Bridge" in honor of William Shea.^[5]
• To honor Shea's many contributions, commencing in 1987 and continuing today, on an annual basis during the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, the William A. "Bill" Shea – Distinguished Little League Graduate Award is presented to a former little leaguer in Major League Baseball who best exemplifies the spirit of Little League Baseball. Consideration for selection includes both the individual's ability and accomplishments and the individual's status as a positive role model.
• The
  Harlem, New York, is a flagship Little League baseball field and the home of Harlem Little League
  . Shea had initiated efforts to convert a dilapidated lot that was shared with municipal leagues into a new grass field upon which Little League in Harlem could play. Through the dedication of others, the field was built, although not until 1998, seven years after Shea's death. Today, Little League is the largest organized youth sports program in the world.
• In Spring 2014, Shea was inducted into the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame.
• Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones named his second son Shea after Jones' success in Shea Stadium against the Mets; he hit 19 home runs there, more than any other road park.^[6]
• Former Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin named his eldest daughter Brielle D'Shea, as he enjoyed playing at Shea Stadium.^[6]
• David Wright named his first child born, July 23, 2016, Olivia Shea Wright after the stadium and thus after Shea himself.^[7]