Yankees Co-Chairperson Hank Steinbrenner, Eldest Child Of The Boss, Passes Away

@Yankees.

The Yankees announced the untimely passing of General Partner and Co-Chairperson Henry G. "Hank" Steinbrenner at the age of 63 on Tuesday morning at his home in Clearwater, Florida, from a longstanding health issue.


The eldest of four children of longtime Yankees Principal Owner George M. Steinbrenner III and his wife, Joan, Hank Steinbrenner was born on April 2, 1957, and was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio.

Steinbrenner was in his 13th season as a Yankees General Partner and his 11th season as Co-Chairperson of the team. Along with his bother, Managing General Partner/Co-Chairperson, Hal Steinbrenner, Hank oversaw all areas of the club's business and baseball operations, and had direct involvement in player negotiations, long-term player recruitment goals and overall club strategy.

The Steinbrenner family said in a statement released by the Yankees: "Hank was a genuine and gentle spirit who treasured the deep relationships he formed with those closest to him. He was introduced to the Yankees organization at a very young age, and his love for sports and competition continued to burn brightly throughout his life. Hank could be direct and outspoken, but in the very same conversation show great tenderness and light-heartedness. More than anything, he set an example for all of us in how comfortably he lived enjoying his personal passions and pursuits. We are profoundly saddened to have lost him and will carry his memory with us always."

In addition to his work with the Yankees, Steinbrenner was passionate about horse racing. He spent many decades involved in the breeding, raising, and racing of horses, serving as a Vice President and Director of Bay Farms Corporation since 1985 and as a longtime member of the board of the Ocala Breeders Sales Company.

Steinbrenner attended Culver Military Academy and Central Methodist College in Missouri. He held additional roles as chairman of Minch Transit Company and vice president of Mid-Florida Hotels Corporation. He also served on the boards of the YES Network and Gold Shield Foundation and was involved in a number of not-for-profit causes and children's charities in New York and Tampa Bay, including the Joshua House, St. Joseph's Children's Hospital, Gigi's Playhouse Tampa, The Children's Dream Fund and the New York Yankees charitable foundations.

In 2000, he coordinated a mutli-year partnership with Gwynn Racing to field a Gwynn/Steinbrenner top fuel  Yankees dragster on the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Drag Racing Tour.

Along with his son, George Michael Steinbrenner IV, Hank reentered the world of competitive racing in 2016, contributing to the formation of Steinbrenner Racing. After participating two seasons in the Indy Lights developmental circuit in 2017 and 2018, the group announced a partnership with Harding Racing in September 2018.

The new team began racing in 2019 as Harding Steinbrenner Racing, competing on the IndyCar circuit, with George Michael Steinbrenner as the youngest team owner in the circuit's history. He became the youngest owner to win a race when the team took the checkered flag on March 24, 2019, at the Circuit of Americas in Austin, Texas. This was just its second race in its first season in IndyCar.

At the conclusion of 2019, the team announced it was uniting with Andretti Autosport to race under the banner of Andretti Harding Steinbrenner Autosport in 2020.