Harry Mangurian, 82; Celtics owner ushered in Bird-McHale-Parish era
Harry T. Mangurian Jr., former horsebreeder and owner of the Boston Celtics when the team won the NBA Championship in 1981, died Sunday at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., of acute Leukemia. He was 82.
Mr. Mangurian was diagnosed in February, his longtime employee and friend, Gordon Latz of Fort Lauderdale said.
"Between the Boston Celtics and the horse business, he accomplished a lot of things," said Steve Mehallis, Mr. Mangurian's chief financial adviser for more than 35 years. "A lot of people would say 'Boy, he's a lucky guy', but luck is the residue of hard work, I would say."
Born in Rochester, N.Y., Mr. Mangurian graduated from Brighton High School and served in the Navy in the Pacific theater from 1943-46.
He married Dorothy Jones in 1947 in Rochester.
Starting as owner of a family-run furniture store, Mr. Mangurian headed an eclectic array of winning business ventures.
From real estate construction and development to owning a soccer team in the now-defunct North American Soccer League, Mr. Mangurian was "successful in any venture that he undertook," Mehallis said.
Mr. Mangurian had several philosophies when it came to business, Latz said.
"One time, he said to me, 'You find somebody that's doing something well, and try to do it better,' " Latz said. Another ideal was to "surround yourself with good people."
"No matter what endeavor he got into, it seemed he had the right touch," Mehallis said. "And the breeding business was the perfect example."
An avid horse lover, his filly Desert Vixen was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1979, according to the museum's website. Owner of a 1,100-acre thoroughbred farm in Ocala, Fla., Mr. Mangurian set world records in both the number of stakes' winners bred and purses won, Mehallis said.
Mr. Mangurian also was very successful as the owner of the Boston Celtics from 1979-1983. On top of winning the 1981 championship, he was instrumental in the signing of Celtics legends Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish.
Jeff Twiss, vice president of media services for the Celtics said, "Harry was a solid owner. He was one who was a good, solid businessman. He really helped bring the championship back to Boston back in '81. Really, with his leadership, guidance, and working with Red Auerbach, he helped raise our franchise up to that championship level."
According to Mehallis, Mr. Mangurian sold the team in 1984 to focus on his business ventures in Florida. But he never lost his passion for sports.
"He just loved athletics his whole life, he's always been a fan," Latz said.
Mr. Mangurian also served during World War II.
"He was an enlisted man and he was a radioman; he was on a sub chaser. It's ironic because I was a radioman myself in the service. We were a few years apart, and we would translate and send messages in Morse code," Mehallis said.
"We always teased each other that if we were in a meeting we could use Morse code to talk to one another," he said.
He was also a family man. Terry Skuse of Rochester, Mr. Mangurian's daughter, said, "When I was growing up, he was the kind of father who would come to school plays and take me ice skating, golfing, and to Wisconsin football games at Madison. He had a good sense of humor, and we had wonderful family holidays in Rochester, Boston, and Ocala because of the closeness we shared with my father's and my mother's parents."
"He was a very generous man, but he was quiet about his generosity, to individuals, healthcare, education, and environmental causes. He did a lot of things for people that no one knew about," said Skuse.
After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, he donated $1 million to the New York
He recently donated $5 million to fund a new women's health center, part of Holy Cross Hospital.
"He was really a very simple guy, very uncomplicated and he was successful at it. If there ever was a guy without an ego, it was Harry Mangurian," Latz said.
"Life has been very good to him. He's done so many wonderful things and helped so many people. Everything was done because he wanted to help people."
In addition to his wife and daughter, Mr. Mangurian leaves another daughter, Tracy Jenkins of Ocala; a brother, Pierce, of Fredericksburg, Texas; a sister, Ann Hanessian of Fort Lauderdale; four grandsons; and two great grandchildren.
A memorial service is planned for tomorrow at Coral Ridge Country Club in Fort Lauderdale. 