Our headline may suggest a little bias on our part as to the direction of the piece, but we truly feel that Nick Mileti single-handedly revived interest in the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians), secured an NBA franchise for the city, and even kept hockey afloat with his acquisition of the AHL Cleveland Barons as well as establishing one of the original WHA franchises in the Cleveland Crusaders.
And that's not all. Mileti was also such an innovator that he envisioned out in the middle of nowhere, at the exit of Route 303 off Interstate 271, what would become the Richfield Coliseum, an arena truly ahead of its time and a way to attract an even wider fan base for his Cavaliers and Crusaders. It should be noted that the AHL Barons had been sold off prior to the move to the Coliseum.
Mileti Was a Self-Made, Homegrown Cleveland Boy
Mileti was from Cleveland’s south side and put himself through Bowling Green State University. After his military service, he opened his own law practice in Lakewood.
Always passionate about sports, his successful law practice afforded him the opportunity to purchase the old Cleveland Arena that stood at E. 37th and Euclid and its only everyday tenant at the time, the Cleveland Barons.
The idea of the Richfield Coliseum was not yet on the table, but Mileti still saw an opportunity to expand attendance at the Arena by putting together a group to obtain the expansion Cleveland Cavaliers, set to start play in 1970. Shortly thereafter, Mileti floated the idea of a new downtown arena past city leaders who indicated that the city would not support the plan.
No Downtown Arena? No Problem
This of course led to the vision of the Richfield Coliseum. Mileti’s first choice was to build downtown, knowing that a big new building would instantly revive the downtown area, but when city leaders shot down that plan, his next thought was to simply expand access to his teams, the Cavaliers and soon-to-be WHA Crusaders, by planting a new facility squarely between Cleveland and Akron. The Coliseum would become the largest arena in the country at the time.
It is also no secret that the Cleveland Indians were financially struggling in the 70s and there were yearly rumors of possible moves, with New Orleans being one of the strongest rumors at the time. Mileti would put together another group to purchase the team from Vernon Stouffer for $10 million in 1972.
Also in 1972, he formed his own communications company, Ohio Communications, and acquired WKYC 1100 AM AND 105.7 FM. WKYC of course became WWWE, "3WE," and the radio home to the Indians and Cavaliers broadcasts.
However, all this money flying around was not solely Mileti’s money. Mileti had a unique formula when it came to his endeavors. The deals were put together primarily with other people’s money, giving him the narrow controlling interest of 51% of the entire empire. Despite his financial partners' faith initially in his visions for the Cleveland sports landscape, it was the financial issues related to the construction of the Richfield Coliseum that led to the investors' faith becoming shaky.
Mileti ended up selling the Indians to Ted Bonda in 1975 and his interest in the Cavaliers in 1980, effectively ending his presence on the Cleveland sports scene. Ironically, what really set things in motion toward Mileti’s exit from Cleveland sports was when his biggest partners Steve O’Neill and Gabe Paul became part of one George Steinbrenner’s effort to acquire the New York Yankees.
Mileti never left Cleveland and lived a long life in retirement, even becoming an author before passing away in Rocky River at the age of 93 on August 21, 2024.
I, for one, as a lifelong Cleveland sports fan, would like to thank Mr. Mileti for his efforts because I truly believe without his visions for Cleveland sports, we would probably have no team but the Cleveland Browns, and let’s face it, how’s that going for us these days?
(Photo credit: Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State University)