I grew up in the Washington, DC area during the '70s and '80s and I was a big fan of all the pro sports teams there. As hard as it may be to remember now, the Washington Bullets were one of the premier NBA teams in the '70s and one of my fondest memories is of my Mom letting me stay up past my bedtime to watch the Bullets' decisive win over Seattle in game seven of the 1978 NBA Finals. I idolized all of the Bullets and to this day I can remember sitting in the Cap Center watching Elvin Hayes knock down one of his patented fade away jumpers, Wes Unseld hammering guys on the blocks and Bobby Dandridge adding a lot of flair with his all court game. And of course I thought Abe Pollin, the team's owner, had to be the greatest guy in the world for putting this incredible team together.
Pollin also owned the Washington Capitals and over the years the Bullets sank into consistent cellar dwelling status and the Caps became a winning franchise. In the mid-90s Mr. Pollin decided to move the teams from the Maryland suburbs to downtown DC. Amazingly he built the then-named MCI Center with $220 million of his own money and he produced a jewel of a facility that became a central part of the revitalization of that part of downtown. Let me repeat: he built it with his own money.
Mr. Pollin was loyal to a fault, keeping people in jobs long after most owners would have cut them loose, and he expected loyalty in return. When he didn't get it he wasn't afraid to wield the ax (just ask Michael Jordan). All in all he seemed to me to be an old-school owner who did things his own way, and although he didn't have any championships to point to after 1978 he earned the respect of everyone in Washington and throughout the sports world. He wasn't perfect and was known to play hardball, but in the end he was a tremendous asset to his community.
