Some sports-franchise owners have that passion for their teams that is evident in everything that they do. People who make you feel that they are every bit as invested as the most passionate of fans. That was Harold Katz.
In recent years — it’s hard to imagine a time when the 76ers didn’t need a process to be elite. At a time when Magic Johnson’s LA Lakers and Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics were locked in amazing games to win the NBA Finals — Harold Katz built the 76ers. Last Friday — the former Sixers owner passed away in Chicago.
In the sports arena — Katz was best known for buying the Philadelphia 76ers from Eugene Dixon Fitzsimmons, Jr. in 1981. The following season (1982–1983) the 76ers would bring what would be the last professional championship in the City of Philadelphia for nearly twenty-five years.
The magical year led by Julius Erving and Moses Malone led the race to a 65–17 regular season. In the playoffs — the Sixers would defeat the New York Knicks 4 games to none in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, the Milwaukee Bucks four games to one in the Conference Finals, and a four games to none against the Los Angeles Lakers and Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. After nearly fifteen years — Katz sold the 76ers to Comcast Spectacor.
Katz also made a significant impact as a businessman in the region founding the H. Katz Capital Group. He was an initial investor in the Nutrisystem Franchise — which would open in Willow Grove in 1972. Harold Katz was 87 years old.
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