Jim Fitzgerald

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James F. Fitzgerald (born March 1926 in Janesville, Wisconsin) is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is best known as a former owner of the Milwaukee Bucks and the Golden State Warriors, both NBA teams.

Fitzgerald attended Notre Dame ('47). In the 1960s, Fitzgerald built the first Holiday Inn in Janesville with other investors including J.P. Cullen and the Ryan brothers, both regionally noted construction firms, and expanded to other cities. The Fitzgerald Group later bought into banks and cable television franchises in Janesville (Total TV, Inc.) and Madison, Wisconsin.^[1] Eventually the cable operations were sold to Jones Intercable (now part of Comcast) and TCI.^[2]

In 1977, Fitzgerald led a group of investors in a takeover of Milwaukee Professional Sports and Service, Inc., the parent company of the Milwaukee Bucks.^[3][4]

In the early 1980s Total TV was expanding throughout Wisconsin eventually to 40 cities. The growth was driven by many new channels including MTV, CNN, USA Network, ESPN and Showtime that were only available on cable. This growth consumed an enormous amount of time, effort and capital.

About this time Fitzgerald became the head of the NBA's television committee. In addition to controlling the broadcast of NBA games on television, he was also charged with investigating revenue opportunities in new technologies like cable, satellite tv and high definition television. Fitzgerald and Bud Selig (former owner of the Milwaukee Brewers) founded the Sportsvue cable channel, a pay-per-view sports broadcaster in Milwaukee. Sportsvue carried Bucks and Brewers games to fans throughout Wisconsin.

Fitzgerald was chairman of the Bucks until 1985 when the team was sold to Herb Kohl, now a U.S. Senator. In 1986, Fitzgerald and friend Dan Finnane, who had also been involved with the Bucks, took over the Golden State Warriors, which he owned through 1995. Current owner Chris Cohan won control of the organization in a lawsuit, purchasing control from Finnane and Fitzgerald for the then-surprising price of $146 million.^[5] During his ownership of both teams, Fitzgerald had a "handshake agreement"^[6] with coach Don Nelson and Nelson delivered with numerous winning seasons and playoff appearances.

In 1997, fifty years after he graduated, the Fitzgerald family donated the new Sports and Communications Center press box at Notre Dame stadium.

Today, Fitzgerald is involved in several startup ventures including LaserLink Golf, the manufacturer of a laser distance measuring device for golfers run by his son in law Rob O'Loughlin.

Marilyn and Jim Fitzgerald have been married 57 years and have 6 children, more than a dozen grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.

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