Business & brands / Sports
Mike Ilitch
1929–2017
· entrepreneur, founder of Little Caesars, sports team owner
Detroit-born son of Macedonian immigrants who founded Little Caesars, owned the Red Wings and the Tigers, and restored the Fox Theatre, reshaping downtown Detroit.
- Born
Detroit, Michigan- Died
Detroit, Michigan
aged 87- Birth name
- Michael Ilitch
- Also known as
- Mr. I
- Detroit years
- 1929–2017
- Field
- Business & brands, Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Ilitch was born in Detroit in 1929 to Macedonian immigrants Sotir and Sultana Ilitch and graduated from Cooley High School. After serving in the Marines he signed with the Detroit Tigers organization and played four seasons of minor-league ball as a second baseman. In 1959 he and his wife Marian opened the first Little Caesars Pizza Treat in Garden City, a Detroit suburb, and built it into a worldwide chain. In 1982 they bought the Red Wings for 8 million dollars; the team became a powerhouse again, winning the Stanley Cup in 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008. In 1992 he bought the Tigers from rival pizza magnate Tom Monaghan and later moved them from Tiger Stadium to Comerica Park. He restored the 1928 Fox Theatre, moved his company headquarters there and laid the groundwork for the arena district that became Little Caesars Arena. He died in Detroit in 2017.
Highlights
- Co-founded Little Caesars with Marian Ilitch in 1959
- Owner of the Detroit Red Wings, 1982–2017; four Stanley Cups
- Owner of the Detroit Tigers, 1992–2017
- Restored the Fox Theatre and moved his headquarters there
- Played minor-league baseball in the Tigers system, 1952–1955
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 4
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Founded · 1987–2017
Fox Theatre
The 1928 movie palace on Woodward that the Ilitches bought and restored in the late 1980s, moving their company offices into the building.
Related place · 2000–2017
Comerica Park
The Tigers' downtown ballpark, built under Ilitch's ownership to replace Tiger Stadium.
Related place · 1982–2017
Joe Louis Arena
Demolished · 1979–2017
Riverfront home of the Red Wings during all four Ilitch-era Stanley Cup seasons; closed in 2017 and demolished afterward.
Memorial · 2017–
Little Caesars Arena
Arena of the Red Wings and Pistons in the District Detroit, developed by the Ilitch organization and named for their company; opened months after his death.