Vince Naimoli, the founding owner of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, died Sunday night after a long illness. He was 81.
After the area had struggled for nearly three decades to gain an expansion franchise or entice a team to relocate, the New Jersey-born businessman led the group that brought Major League Baseball to Florida’s Gulf Coast in 1995.
The Devil Rays began play during the 1998 season and later shortened their name to the Rays before the 2008 season.
Naimoli sold the team to Stuart Sternberg in 2004 and stepped down as managing general partner in 2005.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred issued a statement Monday.
“Vince Naimoli was the driving force behind the efforts that brought a Major League Club to the Tampa Bay region. Vince believed deeply in the market and overcame significant obstacles to secure a Major League franchise. The Rays’ many winning seasons under Stu Sternberg would not have been possible without Vince’s longstanding devotion to this cause leading up to a successful expansion bid in 1995.
“Vince was also a generous figure who cared deeply about his community and education, including his alma mater, the University of Notre Dame, and universities in the Tampa area and his native New Jersey. On behalf of all of us at Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Vince’s wife Lenda and their entire family.”
Naimoli is also remembered as a philanthropist who donated millions to charity, including $1 million to the University of South Florida athletic department and $5 million to the University of Tampa for a new lacrosse field.
He is survived by his wife, four daughters and several grandchildren.