Walter O. Briggs Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | Walter Owen Briggs (1877-02-27)February 27, 1877 Ypsilanti, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | January 17, 1952(1952-01-17) (aged 74) Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Burial place | Holy Sepulchre Cemetery |
| Occupation | Automobile body manufacturer |
| Known for | Owner of theDetroit Tigers |
| Children | 3, includingWalter Jr. andJane |
Walter Owen Briggs Sr. (February 27, 1877 – January 17, 1952) was an Americanentrepreneur and professional sportsowner. He was part-owner of theDetroit Tigers inMajor League Baseball from1919 to1935, and then sole owner from 1935 to his death in1952. Briggs also helped fund theDetroit Zoo in 1928, and personally paid for many of its first exhibits.[1] He was also a patron ofEastern Michigan University and theDetroit Symphony Orchestra.[2]
Briggs was born on February 27, 1877, inYpsilanti, Michigan, to Rodney D. Briggs and Ada Warner.[2] He followed the Detroit Tigers from the time he was young. In his early youth he worked at theMichigan Central Railroad and later openedBriggs Manufacturing Company in 1908, which specialized in themanufacturing of automobile bodies for the auto industry and later diversified intoplumbing fixtures.[3]
After the death of Tigers' part-ownerBill Yawkey in 1919, surviving partnerFrank Navin arranged for Briggs and industrialist John Kelsey to buy a 25 percent stake in the club.[citation needed] Briggs had long chafed at not being able to see the Tigers play theChicago Cubs in the1908 World Series; he saw his stake in the Tigers as a way to ensure he would never have to worry about getting a seat to a game again.[4] In 1927, Briggs bought Kelsey's stake to become a full partner with Navin, though he stayed in the background while Navin was alive. After Navin died in 1935, Briggs became the sole owner of the franchise.[5]
As owner, among Briggs' first actions was completing major renovation and expansion plans to Navin Field, then seating 23,000. He double-decked the grandstand and converted the park into a bowl. It reopened in 1938 as Briggs Stadium, with aseating capacity of 58,000.[6] The stadium was later renamedTiger Stadium.
Briggs was noted for fielding a well-paid team that won twoAmerican League pennants (1940, 1945) and aWorld Series championship in 1945 under his ownership.[7] He had a reputation for being prejudiced againstAfrican Americans, in part because he refused to sign black players[8] and would only allow black fans to sit in inferior obstructed-view sections at Briggs Stadium.[9] While he employed blacks at his factory, they were subjected to pervasive discrimination and less-than-ideal working conditions.[4] The Tigers did not field their first non-white player until 1958, six years after Briggs' death, making them the second-to-last team in the majors tointegrate (ahead of only theBoston Red Sox).[10][11]
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Briggs died at age 74 inMiami Beach, Florida, on January 17, 1952.[1] He was interred atHoly Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield, Michigan.
His son,Walter Briggs Jr., briefly inherited the Tigers before a court forced him to sell the team in 1956.[12]
His daughter,Jane Briggs Hart was known as an aviator and in the 1960s, became one of theMercury 13, women who qualified physically in the same tests as those used for male astronauts. She died in 2015.[13]
In a 2017 op-ed for theDetroit Free Press, Briggs' great-grandson, Harvey Briggs, publicly apologized for Walter's racism in his capacity as Tigers' owner. Harvey wrote that for all the good his great-grandfather might have done for Detroit, "I cannot overlook one fact. He was a racist." Harvey added that his opposition toDonald Trump came from the need to acknowledge his family's racist past.[4]
Walter O. Briggs was born in Ypsilanti, Michigan on February 27, 1877 to Rodney D. Briggs and Ada (Warner) Briggs. ...
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)Tossed out at home: the Detroit Tigers' Walter ("Spike") Briggs Jr. A man with a tiger by the tail ever since he inherited the team from his father, Spike tried hard not to let go. When the courts ordered him to sell, he talked the new owners into keeping him on as executive vice president and general manager, but last week his resignation was 'accepted.' Said Spike: 'It was a semi-force play.'