Hank Steinbrenner, general partner and co-chairperson of the Yankees, died early Tuesday morning at his Clearwater, Fla., residence due to a long-standing health issue surrounded by family members.
According to a source, the cause of death was not COVID-19.
The 63-year-old Steinbrenner was in his 13th year as general partner and 11th as co-chairperson.
“Hank was a genuine and gentle spirit who treasured the deep relationships he formed with those closest to him,” the Steinbrenner family said in a statement. “He was introduced to the Yankees organization at a very young age, and his love for sports and competition continued to burn brightly throughout his life. Hank could be direct and outspoken, but in the very same conversation show great tenderness and light-heartedness. More than anything, he set an example for all of us in how comfortably he lived enjoying his personal passions and pursuits. We are profoundly saddened to have lost him and will carry his memory with us always.”
Steinbrenner was the oldest son of George and Joan Steinbrenner. Brother Hal Steinbrenner is the Yankees’ managing general partner and co-chairperson. Sisters Jennifer Steinbrenner Swindal and Jessica Steinbrenner are general partners and vice chairpersons.
With George Steinbrenner’s health failing in the late 2000s, Hank Steinbrenner, dubbed “Baby Boss,” took on a more active role and displayed a resemblance to his father’s bold approach to running the club. George Steinbrenner passed away in July 2010.
However, in recent years Hank Steinbrenner hasn’t been seen around the Yankees much and heard from less as the more reserved Hal Steinbrenner moved to the forefront of the operation, serving as the public face of the Yankees and representing the club at owners’ meetings.
Hank Steinbrenner was active in the family horse business, which is located in Ocala, Fla., and a board member of the Ocala Breeders Sales Company. Since 1985 he was the vice president and director of Bay Farms Cooperation.
In 2009, Hank Steinbrenner founded Hank’s Yanks, an amateur baseball program that helped several players get drafted by MLB teams. Williams Jerez, who pitched for Hank’s Yanks and Grand Street Campus High School in Brooklyn, has appeared in 29 big league games for the Angels, Giants and Pirates.
Hank Steinbrenner joined his son, George Michael IV, to form Steinbrenner Racing in 2016. Following two years participating in the IndyCar development program, Steinbrenner Racing partnered with Harding Racing, and last year was the first season the partnership competed on the IndyCar circuit.
Two races into the venture, Harding Steinbrenner Racing won the Circuit of Americas in Austin, Texas, on March 24, 2019. With the win, George Michael IV became the youngest owner to win a race in the history of IndyCar Series. This year, Harding Steinbrenner teamed with Andretti Autosport and is known as Harding Steinbrenner Autosport.
Hank Steinbrenner leaves four children — daughters Jacqueline and Julia, and sons John and George Michael IV — and granddaughter Anabel. He attended Culver Military Academy and Central Methodist College in Missouri.