# William Modell

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**William D. Modell** (May 13, 1921 – February 14, 2008) was an American businessman who chaired the [Modell's Sporting Goods](/source/Modell's_Sporting_Goods) [retail chain](/source/Retail_chain).[1]

## Early life

Modell was born on May 13, 1921[1] to a [Jewish](/source/Jewish_American) family.[2] He grew up in the [Manhattan Beach neighborhood](/source/Manhattan_Beach,_Brooklyn) of [Brooklyn](/source/Brooklyn), New York, before attending [New York University](/source/New_York_University).[1] He enlisted in the [United States Army](/source/United_States_Army) during [World War II](/source/World_War_II).[1]

## Modell's Sporting Goods

William Modell first became involved in [Modell's Sporting Goods](/source/Modell's_Sporting_Goods), a family business, after World War II.[1] The store had been founded in 1889 by Modell's Hungarian immigrant grandfather, [Morris Modell](/source/Morris_Modell), who opened the first store on [Cortlandt Street](/source/Cortlandt_Street_(Manhattan)) in [Lower Manhattan](/source/Lower_Manhattan).[1] Modell's Sporting Goods grew rapidly after [World War I](/source/World_War_I) by stocking up on leftover [army surplus](/source/Army_surplus) and selling it at low prices.[1]

William Modell became chairman of the company in 1985, but had effectively run the company with his father, [Henry Modell](/source/Henry_Modell), who was chairman of the Modell's, since 1963.[1] His expansion strategy for the company involved buying locations from faltering rivals in the [sporting goods](/source/Sporting_goods) business. For example, under Modell the company paid $2.5 million for fifteen locations from bankrupt rival, [Herman's World of Sporting Goods](/source/Herman's_World_of_Sporting_Goods) in 1996.[1] This acquisition expanded the number of Modell's Sporting Goods stores from 52 to 67 stores and increased the company's presence in [New Jersey](/source/New_Jersey) and the [Baltimore](/source/Baltimore)-Washington D.C. areas.[1]

In 2008, the company operated 136 retail locations across eight states, with a 2007 annual [revenue](/source/Revenue) of approximately $635 million.[1]

## Personal life

In 1949, Modell married Shelby Zaldin.[2] They had three children: a daughter, Leslie Modell; and two sons, Mitchell, the current CEO of the Modell's Sporting Goods, and Michael, who suffered from [Crohn's disease](/source/Crohn's_disease), an inflammation of the digestive tract. Michael died in 2001.[1] He was a resident of [Hewlett Harbor, New York](/source/Hewlett_Harbor,_New_York).[1]

In 1967, Modell founded the [Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America](/source/Crohn's_and_Colitis_Foundation_of_America),[1] a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to finding cures for [Crohn's disease](/source/Crohn's_disease) and [ulcerative colitis](/source/Ulcerative_colitis) and improving the quality of life of its victims.

## Death

William Modell died in [Manhattan](/source/Manhattan) on February 14, 2008, of complications from prostate cancer at the age of 86.[1]

## References

1. Hevesi, Dennis (February 15, 2008). ["William D. Modell, Seller of Sporting Goods, Is Dead at 86"](https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/15/business/15modell.html?_r=1&oref=slogin). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. Retrieved 7 March 2008.

1. [New York Daily News: "Retail icon, William Modell, dies at 86"](https://archive.today/20130130085654/http://articles.nydailynews.com/2008-02-15/news/17892233_1_william-modell-modell-family-mitchell-modell) February 15, 2008

## External links

- [Boston Globe: William Modell; expanded sporting goods chain](http://archive.boston.com/bostonglobe/obituaries/articles/2008/02/22/william_modell_expanded_sporting_goods_chain/)
- [Modell's Sporting Goods Official site](http://www.modells.com)
- [Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America](http://www.ccfa.org/)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [William Modell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Modell) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Modell?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.