Bill Wirtz

For other people named William Wirtz, seeWilliam Wirtz (disambiguation).

Not to be confused withBill WurtzorBill Wertz.

Bill Wirtz
Born	(1929-10-05)October 5, 1929 Chicago,Illinois
Died	September 26, 2007(2007-09-26)(aged 77) Evanston, Illinois
Nationality	American
Occupation(s)	Business Executive Owner ofChicago BlackhawksandWirtz Corporation
Children	Rocky Wirtz

William Wadsworth Wirtz(October 5, 1929 – September 26, 2007) was the chief executive officer and controlling shareholder of the family-owned Wirtz Corporation. He was best known as the owner of theChicago Blackhawksof theNational Hockey League,who are part of Wirtz Corp's holdings. Wirtz also served as the Blackhawks' team president for over four decades.

Biography

Early life

Bill Wirtz was raised in Chicago, Illinois by his fatherArthur Wirtzand mother Virginia. He attended theLatin School of Chicagowhere he was a star athlete in Football and Track. He was set to go toPrinceton Universityafter his senior year but decided to attendBrown Universityinstead with his best friend. Wirtz graduated from Brown University In 1950.

Wealth

Bill Wirtz (via his stake in theWirtz Corporation) was most notable as owner of the Chicago Blackhawks;Wirtz Realty,a large real estate owner inChicago;andJudge & Dolph Ltd.,a major liquor distributor selling over 33 percent of all liquor in Illinois. Wirtz Corp. also has interests in banking and insurance, and co-owned theUnited CenterwithJerry Reinsdorf.Crain's Chicago Businessin 2004 estimated the company's 2003 revenues as US$1.3 billion. Overall, it is estimated that Bill Wirtz's personal holdings (including stock in several companies, includingAlberto-CulverandFirstarBank) were worth about US$3 to $4 billion.

Wirtz sold theHoliday on IceandIce Folliesfor $12 million toIrvin & Kenneth Feld Productionsin 1979.

Blackhawks ownership

Bill Wirtz was the team president of the Blackhawks for 41 years and served as chairman of the Board of Governors of the NHL for 18, helping to merge the NHL and theWorld Hockey Associationduring the 1970s.

As owner of the Blackhawks, Wirtz had a reputation for stubbornness and frugality, earning the nickname "Dollar" Bill.He was vilified by Blackhawks fans for forbidding home games to be televised unless they were picked up by national broadcasters, which only happened when the Blackhawks made the playoffs. As Wirtz explained it, broadcasting regular-season home games was unfair to season-ticket holders.For a short time during the 1991–92 and 1992–93 seasons, Wirtz introducedHawkvision,apay-per-viewservice that operated in conjunction with Chicago's localSportsChanneloutfit, which cost$29.95 per month and broadcast Blackhawks home games.

Wirtz was also blamed for allowingBobby Hullto leave the Blackhawks and the NHL for theWorld Hockey Association(although his father,Arthur Wirtz,was actually responsible for that decision).Wirtz was further blamed for the loss of bothDominik HašekandEd Belfour,for tradingDenis Savardin 1990, for the trade ofChris Cheliosto Detroit (in actuality, Chelios had asked to be traded and approved then-General Manager Bob Murray when told Detroit was the most interested team), for the trading ofJeremy Roenick,and the 1967 trade ofPhil Esposito.Wirtz was also blamed for the Blackhawks'Stanley Cupdrought,which was the third longest inNHL historyand the longest in team history.Under the ownership of Wirtz, the Chicago Blackhawks were named byESPNin 2004 as the worst franchise in sports.In 2002, ESPN ranked Wirtz as the third greediest owner in all of sports.

In spite of his vocal critics, Wirtz was inducted into theHockey Hall of Famein 1976and theUnited States Hockey Hall of Famein 1985.He was considered by many (including former Blackhawks General ManagerDale Tallon,retired hockey starStan Mikita,and former BlackhawkMartin Lapointe) to be a generous and fiercely loyal man.In 1993, he establishedBlackhawk Charitieswhich has donated millions of dollars to theBoys and Girls Clubsand theAmateur Hockey Association of Illinois,among other groups.

Wirtz also served on theOlympic Committeesfor both the1980and1984 Winter Olympics.

"The Wirtz Law"

In 1999, the Illinois State Legislature passed theWine and Spirits Fair Dealing Act,( "The Wirtz Law" ). The bill was passed after more than $700,000 was contributed to politicians by liquor distributors according to the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. The law was on the books for less than three years before a U.S. district court judge struck it down on the grounds that it violated the commerce clause of the Constitution. Newspaper editorials at the time often called the Wirtz Law a corrupt document, and it has since become a case study forcampaign finance reform.

Personal life and death

In 1950, Wirtz married Joan Roney.They had five children: two sons, Rocky Wirtz and Peter Wirtz; and three daughters, Gail Wirtz Costello, Karey Wirtz Fix, and Alyson Wirtz.Joan died in 1983, the same year his father died.In 1987, he married Alice Wirtz.Bill Wirtz died atEvanston Hospitalon September 26, 2007, following a brief battle with cancer. His sonPeter Wirtzwas named the new owner of the Blackhawks the following day; Peter Wirtz eventually passed responsibility to his brotherRocky.Services were held at theFourth Presbyterian Churchin Chicago.During a tribute and moment of silence for Bill Wirtz during the Blackhawks' home opener on October 6, 2007, the crowd booed the proceedings.

See also

• List of members of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics fromLegends of Hockey