Larry H Miller 1944-2009

I was about to run out the door when I heard the news. I had to post something. This is quick and dirty. I'll post a follow up tomorrow.

Wow. What can I say about Larry?

He was a man who had heart. He went about life full-bore.

I was among the many who made fun of him for crying in every press conference. However, he cried because he cared. Say what you will about him -- the man had heart.

I would think it safe to say that Larry did more to make Salt Lake City what it is today than just about anyone since Brigham Young. If he hadn't jumped in and bought the Utah Jazz in the early 1980's, they probably would have folded or moved to Las Vegas.

The floundering team started winning, and soon was too big for the Salt Palace. He mortgaged everything to build the team a new arena. He also worked as a consultant to Salt Lake City when the city was rebuilding their minor league ballpark. He later stepped in to buy that team when it was looking for a new owner.

Without an NBA team or the Delta Center, there probably wouldn't have been a Salt Lake Olympics. There definitely wouldn't have been an NBA all-star game or city-unifying NBA Finals runs in the 90's. Heck, the Gateway probably would exist.

Was there a lot not nice about Larry? Yes. However, they day of a man's death is not the time to talk about it.

-Bob

(disclaimer: I work part time for Larry H Miller Sports and Entertainment. This post reflects my own opinions and was not reviewed by my employer.)