Comer Cottrell

Comer Joseph Cottrell, Jr.

• School University of Detroit
• Born December 7, 1931 in Mobile, AL USA
• Died October 3, 2014 in Plano, TX USA

Biographical Information

Comer Cottrell, along with George W. Bush and others, was part of the team that purchased the Texas Rangers baseball club in 1989. He was the first black person to be an owner or part-owner of a major league team.

Other ventures

He founded Pro-Line Corp. in 1970. It was originally based in Los Angeles, CA. In 1979, he created the Curly Kit and in 1980, he moved the company to Dallas, TX. Forbes magazine called the Curly Kit "the biggest single product ever to hit the black cosmetics market" since it made the Jheri curl hairstyle cheap and easy to do at home. In 2000, he sold the company to Alberto-Culver for $75 million to $80 million. With his brother, James, he turned Pro-Line into one of the most successful black-owned companies in the United States.

In 1990, he purchased the campus of Bishop College and moved Paul Quinn College from Waco, TX to its campus.

He wrote an autobiography: Comer Cottrell: A Story That Will Inspire Future Entrepreneurs.

He served in the Air Force during the Korean War.