Cleveland Indians owner Nick Mileti, center, says manager Ken Aspromonte, right, was rehired to a “multi-year” contract on Oct. 4, 1972, in Cleveland. Mileti, who helped found the Cleveland Cavaliers and was a prominent figure in the city’s sports circles, has died. He was 93. Associated Press file photo
CLEVELAND — Nick Mileti, who helped found the Cleveland Cavaliers and became a prominent figure in the city’s sports landscape in the 1970s, has died. He was 93.
Mileti died in his sleep Wednesday in Rocky River, Ohio, according to a spokesman for the Cleveland Guardians, one of several teams Mileti once owned.
The son of Sicilian immigrants became one of the city’s true power brokers after buying a minor league hockey team, the Cleveland Barons, and the Cleveland Arena in 1968.
He became a key figure in the ownership groups that began buying or founding other franchises. In 1970, they brought the NBA to Cleveland by selling shares of the Cavaliers expansion team for $5 each to raise $2.25 million and cover the $3.7 million expansion cost.
“A true pioneer in the sports world, Nick was not only a leader; he was a dreamer who made that dream a reality for countless Cleveland fans,” the Cavaliers said in a statement. “Nick Mileti changed the course of Cleveland sports history, and his passion and commitment will be deeply missed.”
In 1972, he bought a controlling interest in the city’s Major League Baseball franchise, then called the Indians, as part of a group that included future U.S. Senator Howard Metzenbaum, and he helped oversee construction of Richfield Coliseum, where the Cavs played from 1974 to 1994.
Mileti also purchased a World Hockey Association franchise in 1972 and moved it from Calgary to Cleveland, renaming the franchise the Crusaders, and owned two of the city’s largest radio stations.
He was replaced as president of the Indians in 1975 and, under pressure from the banks, sold his stake in the team. The Crusaders folded in 1976 after an NHL team moved to the city, and Mileti sold his interest in the Cavaliers in 1980.
Eventually, Mileti returned to the world of sports.
After moving to California in 1979 to help produce and finance plays and films, he founded the Canadian Football League’s Las Vegas Posse, owned several radio stations and wrote three books.
But Mileti’s influence in Cleveland continued.
He was part of the inaugural class inducted into the Cavaliers’ Wall of Honor in 2019 — part of the team’s 50th anniversary celebration — and was recognized at that ceremony. with an NBA championship ring of the Cavs’ first championship team in 2015-16.
“I’ve often heard people say, ‘It’s not how long you live, it’s what you live for,’” former Cavs star Jim Chones said. “Nick was rewarded with his longevity because he touched so many people in his mission to make Cleveland great again. His voice was soft but confident, demanding attention. He loved Cleveland, and Cleveland loved him.”
