Harry Glickman

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Harry Glickman (born May 13, 1924, in Portland, Oregon) is a retired journalist, promoter, and sports executive. He was one of the founders of the Portland Trail Blazers, and was the team's president from 1987 to 1994.

[edit] Early career

Glickman grew up in Portland, and graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in journalism.^[1] When a job offer at the Oregonian newspaper fell through, Glickman took to promoting sporting events.^[1] In 1960, he was one of the founders of the Portland Buckaroos of the Western Hockey League, a now-defunct minor hockey league (and one of several leagues to bear that name).^[1]^[2] The Buckaroos were one of the most successful franchises in minor league hockey history, winning three WHL championships, and playing in three others, during their 13 years in the Western Hockey League. (The WHL would fold in 1974, largely as a result of losing major market teams in Los Angeles and Vancouver to the National Hockey League and others, including Denver and Phoenix, to the World Hockey Association (which later merged with the NHL). The Buckaroos ultimately folded in 1975, after moving to a different league.

[edit] Portland Trail Blazers

In 1970, Glickman, working without any investor support, won an expansion franchise with the National Basketball Association, subject to coming up with $3.8 million in a matter of days. Glickman soon rounded up 3 wealthy real estate developers led by Herman Sarkowsky of Seattle, who then brought in Larry Weinberg of Los Angeles and Robert Schmertz of Boston. Later, Sarkowskly and Schmertz sold their shares to Weinberg, who was the teams majority owner until the club was sold to Paul Allen in 1988. Glickman oversaw all business and basketball operations as the General Manager of the franchise from its inception in 1970 until his retirement in 1987, and continues as the Blazers' president emeritus. After Paul Allen brought the club, Glickman's son, Marshall, was promoted to Senior Vice-President and was ultimately named president in 1994.

After his Blazer career, Glickman served his son Marshall's Portland Family Entertainment, a business venture which promotes baseball and soccer in Portland, and which managed a $38 million renovation of 30,000-seat Civic Stadium (now PGE Park) on behalf of the City of Portland.

In 1977, Glickman authored his autobiography Promoter Ain't a Dirty Word. He was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1986 for his contribution to sports in Oregon.^[3] He was cited as Portland, Oregon's Citizen of the Year in 1994.

Glickman is considered as the "father" of professional sports in Oregon.