'An extraordinary life:' Jazz owner Larry H. Miller 1944-2009
A few years later, when a new collective bargaining deal and escalating salaries threatened the existence of the Jazz in Salt Lake City, Miller once again risked all by building an arena that would bring the team new revenue streams (parking, concessions, suites, more seats/ticket sales) necessary for survival. He built the Delta Center (now EnergySolutions Arena) for $73 million. His investment in the Jazz had now reached close to $100 million.
The Jazz immediately became profitable under Miller, but, true to his original stated intentions, he never considered the team an investment or an appreciating asset. He received several offers each year to buy and move the team, some for as much as $400 million, but he never gave them serious consideration.
The hallmark of Miller's ownership of the Jazz was loyalty and stability. He hired coaches and general managers and stuck with them, whether it was aging Karl Malone and John Stockton or coach Jerry Sloan. He was rewarded with one of the winningest and most consistent teams in professional sports — a team that qualified for the playoffs 22 times in 25 seasons and played in two NBA Finals.
Workaholic
In a way, Miller worked himself to death. He labored maniacally for most of his adult life — 80 to 90 hours a week for 20 years. Later in life, he castigated himself for neglecting his family and leaving the rearing and nurturing of their five children to his wife. But later, in another reflective moment, he also noted that something good came from his obsessive work ethic that might not have been achieved otherwise: He provided good, high-quality jobs for 7,000 people and their families.
When he was involved in a project, Miller immersed himself in it for days and months at a time, neglecting sleep and food. The pace he maintained at such times — and throughout much of his career — would have been hard on anyone, but especially a man with type 2 diabetes. There were days when he would rush out the door without eating breakfast, armed with only a candy bar, and by the end of the day the candy bar was uneaten and Miller had gone without a meal, risky behavior for a diabetic.
Miller loved projects and often found himself spending an inordinate amount of time working on details that no CEO would have bothered with, such as researching what type of trees to plant in front of the Delta Center or what window blinds and concrete to use in the building. But he reveled in opportunities to learn something new and enjoyed becoming an expert in something such as shade trees and concrete.
Recent comments
We miss you, Larry. Thanks for everything you did for our community.
Eric | Feb. 24, 2009 at 10:24 a.m.
wery sad for larry
Anonymous | Feb. 23, 2009 at 2:11 p.m.
I happened to be in SL this past weekend from Idaho and received the...
JJ | Feb. 22, 2009 at 9:18 p.m.
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