William D. Modell (May 13, 1921 – February 14, 2008) was an American businessman who chaired the Modell's Sporting Goods retail chain.

Early life

Modell was born on May 13, 1921 to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family.New York Daily News: "Retail icon, William Modell, dies at 86"
February 15, 2008 He grew up in the Manhattan Beach neighborhood of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York, before attending

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

. He enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Modell's Sporting Goods

William Modell first became involved in Modell's Sporting Goods, a family business, after World War II. The store had been founded in 1889 by Modell's Hungarian immigrant grandfather, Morris Modell, who opened the first store on Cortlandt Street in Lower Manhattan. Modell's Sporting Goods grew rapidly after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

by stocking up on leftover

army surplus Military surplus are goods, usually matériel, that are sold or otherwise disposed of when held in excess or are no longer needed by the military. Entrepreneurs often buy these goods and resell them at surplus stores. Usually the goods sold by t ...

and selling it at low prices. William Modell became chairman of the company in 1985, but had effectively run the company with his father, Henry Modell, who was chairman of the Modell's, since 1963. His expansion strategy for the company involved buying locations from faltering rivals in the

sporting goods Sports equipment, sporting equipment, also called sporting goods, are the tools, materials, apparel, and gear used to compete in a sport and varies depending on the sport. The equipment ranges from balls, nets, and protective gear like helmets. ...

business. For example, under Modell the company paid $2.5 million for fifteen locations from bankrupt rival, Herman's World of Sporting Goods in 1996. This acquisition expanded the number of Modell's Sporting Goods stores from 52 to 67 stores and increased the company's presence in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and the

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

-Washington D.C. areas. As of 2008, the company now has 136 retail locations in eight states, with a 2007 annual

revenue In accounting, revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of goods and services related to the primary operations of the business. Commercial revenue may also be referred to as sales or as turnover. Some companies receive reven ...

of approximately $635 million.

Personal life

In 1949, Modell married Shelby Zaldin. They had three children: a daughter, Leslie Modell; and two sons, Mitchell, the current CEO of the Modell's Sporting Goods, and Michael, who suffered from Crohn's disease, an inflammation of the digestive tract. Michael died in 2001. He was a resident of

Hewlett Harbor, New York Hewlett Harbor is a village in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 1,263 as of the 2010 census. The Village of Hewlett Harbor is located within the Town of Hempstead. This area, like Back/Old Lawrence i ...

. In 1967, Modell founded the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America, a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to finding cures for Crohn's disease and

ulcerative colitis Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a long-term condition that results in inflammation and ulcers of the colon and rectum. The primary symptoms of active disease are abdominal pain and diarrhea mixed with blood (hematochezia). Weight loss, fever, and ...

and improving the quality of life of its victims.

Death

William Modell died in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

on February 14, 2008, of complications from prostate cancer at the age of 86.

References

External links

Boston Globe: William Modell; expanded sporting goods chainModell's Sporting Goods Official siteCrohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America
{{DEFAULTSORT:Modell, William 1921 births 2008 deaths Businesspeople from New York City American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent American sports businesspeople United States Army personnel of World War II New York University alumni Deaths from prostate cancer Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Place of birth missing People from Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn People from The Five Towns, New York 20th-century American businesspeople