It was in the early 1970s that George M. Steinbrenner, shipbuilder and infamous owner of the New York Yankees, discovered Tampa. He had driven down from Ohio to check out Tampa Ship––which he ultimately purchased––and decided to stay. It is commonly believed that the Yankees’ longest-tenured owner lives in New York, but he does not. He chooses to live here, and in fact, stays at The Regency Hotel when visiting his Bronx Bombers. “Tampa is a great city,” says Steinbrenner, a.k.a. The Boss. “The people make it great. New York’s my home away from home, but I love Tampa, my wife loves Tampa.”

Led by The Boss, the Steinbrenner family has become one of Tampa’s philanthropic forces. It has contributed in ways we may never know, as publicizing the good it does isn’t part of the game plan. We do know the Steinbrenners founded the Silver and Gold Shield Foundations, which serve the children of fallen police officers and firefighters. We know the family built an Emergency Center for Children at St. Joseph’s Hospital, that Mr. Steinbrenner hosts an annual banquet to recognize high school coaches, and that he and his children generously support the Boys & Girls Clubs, The Salvation Army, the Warrior Foundation and America’s Second Harvest.

George Steinbrenner has sent Yankees players to a camp for terminally ill children; he’s provided a football facility for a local high school. And the list goes on.

“Mr. Steinbrenner is legendary inside our organization and around Tampa Bay for his charitable service,” notes Major Rick Mikles, Tampa Area Commander for The Salvation Army. “Mr. Steinbrenner is not only generous with his resources, he is willing to roll up his sleeves and get to work. He doesn’t ask for recognition or fanfare. That is the mark of a great man.”

METRO: When in your career did you decide it was important to give back to the community?

Steinbrenner: I’ve always believed that. My mother taught me it’s not a matter of being smarter or better than someone, it’s a matter of being more fortunate. You share what you have.

M: Your philanthropic soft spots seem to be focused on children, teachers and the military. Is that accurate?

S: Yes, you’re right on there. I believe in the military life, the discipline it teaches, the order it instills. Those qualities are important in life, in corporate life, athletics, anything you do. I attended Indiana’s Culver Military Academy and served in the Air Force for three years in the 1950s. From there, I became a high school teacher and coach. I taught and coached at Northwestern and Purdue before joining my father’s shipbuilding company. I know how hard teachers work.

M: If you could change anything about education today, what would it be?

S: I’d like to improve our discipline systems. Parents used to be more involved. We need that again. It’s a hard thing to do, but we all need to acknowledge that the young people of this country are what our future’s all about.

M: Did you ever aspire to be a Major League Baseball owner?

S: No…What kid aspires to do that? But I loved the Cleveland Indians. I grew up with them in the days of Al Rosen and Mel Harder. Al Lopez was the manager and a great person. He won the World Championship…we have that in common.

M: If you could change anything about baseball today, what would it be?

S: I’d make the pitchers play more. You know, the more you pitch, the better you play. Those pitchers have led sheltered lives!

M: You don’t talk a lot about how you give back to this community. Why?

S: That, I learned from my father. He always told me, ‘If you do something good for someone, and everybody knows about it, you did it for the wrong reason.’

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