Dave Dombrowski is one of the biggest names when it comes to baseball executives. He serves as president of baseball operations for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). Before joining the Sox, he worked with many other teams including the Detroit Tigers, the Florida Marlins, and the Montreal Expos. Since starting as a baseball executive, he has achieved many successes, including being named Baseball America Executive of the Year in 2006, but despite all the awards, it has not been a rosy ride for the big gun.
Dave Dombrowski Biography
David Dombrowski was born on July 27, 1956, in Chicago, Illinois. Not much is known about the childhood of the man who was to grow up to become one of the most respected decision-makers in the major leagues, except that he was raised by hard-working parents. While his father always left the house at 6 in the morning and returned by 6:30 in the evening, his mother also worked to support the family.
Growing up in Palos Heights, he had set his sights on becoming general manager of a major league baseball team when he was only in eighth grade. His dream was not changed by Harold L. Richards High School and later Cornell University, where he played college football for only a year before moving to Western Michigan University. There he graduated after earning a degree in business administration in 1978. He returned 20 years later, in 1998, to receive a Distinguished Alumni Award.
MLB Career
Dave Dombrowski’s life as an executive began in 1978 when he was named administrative assistant to the Chicago White Sox minor league. He then made a rapid rise through the ranks to become Assistant Manager to Roland Hemond, but that didn’t last long as he was kicked out soon after. When he recognized his talent, the Montreal Expos caught up with him the next year and made him Director of Player Development under Bill Stoneman in 1987, until he became General Manager a year later. At just 31 years old, he was the youngest in the Major League at the time.
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After the Expos, Dombrowsky became the first General Manager of the Florida Marlins in 1991. He remained loyal to the team for over a decade before joining the Detroit Tigers, where he became their president. In 14 years he led the Tigers to 5 playoffs and 4 consecutive titles in the American League Central Division. Also under his promising leadership, the team performed four times in the American League Championship Series, three times in a row in the ALCS, and twice in the AL pennant.
From the Detroit Tigers, Dave moved to the Boston Red Sox as president of the baseball operation. In his very first season, the Sox recorded 93 regular-season wins and took the title in the American League East Division.
Since it cannot be denied that he has enjoyed a very successful career, Dave could only win one World Series, which he won in 1997. He has won a number of individual awards, including the Andrew “Rube” Foster Award, the UPI Executive of the Year, the Baseball America Executive of the Year, and the Sporting News Executive of the Year, which he won with Doug Melvin. He was also inducted into the Lou Boudreau Hall of Fame.
Dave Dombrowski Net Worth
Dave has accomplished much in his career as a baseball manager, which he started when he was still in his 20s. Thanks to this, he has achieved great success in fame and, of course, fortune.
However, his actual net worth is not known, although there are sources that attribute a value of around $10 million to him.
Wife, Daughter, Family
Dave Dombrowski is a family man. Already in 1995, he married Karie Dombrowski (née Ross). The couple first met in 1992, when Karie was working as a reporter for WTVJ in Miami, while Dave was the managing director of the Florida Marlins. Their meeting took place at a press conference organized by the Marlins, where the signing of Benito Santiago was announced.
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Five months after their first meeting, Dave hit a home run by asking Karie Ross for an appointment. This was the beginning for the two who would walk down the aisle as husband and wife just a few years later.
Their union is blessed with three children, a son, Landon Dombrowski, who plays baseball, and two daughters, Brittney and Darbi Dombrowski.