Del Webb

Delbert Eugene Webb

• Height 6' 4", Weight 200 lb.

• Born May 17, 1899 in Fresno, CA USA
• Died July 4, 1974 in Rochester, MN USA

Biographical Information

Del Webb became part owner of the New York Yankees in 1945, when he was part of a group that purchased the team from the estate of the late Jacob Ruppert. The group, which also included Dan Topping and Larry MacPhail, sold the club to CBS in November 1964.

Webb grew up in California and had to quit school and work as a carpenter's apprentice when his family was ruined in 1913. He then worked in the Oakland, CA shipyards during World War I. He played semi-pro baseball as a pitcher after the war but hurt his arm before he could land a professional contract. He contracted typhoid fever from an inmate during a game at San Quentin prison in 1928 and almost died. He moved to Phoenix, AZ to restore his health and started a small construction company, which became quite prosperous thanks to government building contracts during the New Deal period. He developed a network of privileged contacts, and this was how MacPhail eventually approached him when he was trying to put together a syndicate to purchase the Yankees.

Related Sites

• Del Webb at the SABR Bio Project