♫ Modell Had to Go... Mo-dell! (yeah...) ♫

The man whose name is synonymous with sporting goods in the Northeast part of the country, William Modell, died yesterday at the age of 86.

Mr. Modell joined Modell’s, a 118-year old family-owned business, at the end of World War II and became chairman in 1985. But he had effectively run the corporation since 1963, working alongside his father, Henry, who was chairman. In 1975, the chain consisted of 10 stores in New York City and on Long Island, with annual revenue of about $10.5 million. There are now 136 Modell’s stores in eight states and Washington, with revenue last year of approximately $635 million.

As I mentioned above, his name is truly synonymous with sporting goods. Of course, that famous last name also belongs to his cousin Art, whose name is synonymous with much worse things in the city of Cleveland.

[NY Times]