Mike Ilitch

Entrepreneur

Birthday July 20, 1929

Birth Sign Cancer

Birthplace Detroit, MI

DEATH DATE Feb 10, 2017 (87)

#93029 Most Popular

About

Founder of the Little Caesars Pizza chain who owned the NHL's Detroit Red Wings and the MLB's Detroit Tigers.

Before Fame

He founded Little Caesars Pizza in Garden City, Michigan, in 1959, using the $10,000 he saved up. The store's name came from his wife's nickname for him.

Trivia

He owned the Detroit Caesars professional softball team back in the late 1970s when the city was a mecca for the sport.

Family Life

He had several children with his wife Marian, whom he met on a blind date while she was working as a Delta Airlines clerk.

Associated With

He took a struggling Detroit Tigers baseball team and gave them their first playoff run in 19 years under manager Jim Leyland.