Mike Storen

Mike Storen (Sept 14, 1935 - May 7, 2020) was a sports executive, business entrepreneur and most importantly, family man. His career in the sports industry spans more than 5 decades and while he is best known for his tenure as Commissioner of the American Basketball Association (ABA), his legacy extends outside of basketball to football, baseball and more. Storen was known to have a deeply rooted passion for sports from a very young age. The Michigan City, IN native attended Notre Dame University from 1953-57 and played a stint with the freshman football team. While serving in the United States Marine Corps for five years, he started the widely known "Toys for Tots" campaign before he began his career in professional sports management in 1962 as the Ticket Sales Manager for the Chicago Zephyrs basketball team. Shortly thereafter began a journey of cities, pro leagues and sports franchises for Storen and his family. From Chicago, he went on to hold a variety of executive positions with professional basketball teams including the Baltimore Bullets, Cincinnati Royals, Indiana Pacers, Kentucky Colonels, Memphis Sounds, Atlanta Hawks and MLB's Houston Astros and the WFL's Memphis Grizzlies, among others. The former Marine Corps Captain was a founder and the first Vice President and General Manager of the Indiana Pacers in 1967. Storen created the team culture, scouted, hired and signed the players, coaches, front office employees and ran the team including naming the team, choosing the uniforms, picking the colors and designing the team logo. Indiana went on to lead the league in attendance for its first three years and won the league championship before Storen left to take over the Kentucky Colonels in 1969. In September of 1973, at just 38-years-old, Storen was named commissioner of the American Basketball Association. As commissioner, he was instrumental to the future success, direction and innovation of the league. He created the cornerstones for the league's merger with the NBA and led the efforts in signing collegiate stars in the face of competition and, for the first time in the history of sports, signing underclassmen. Storen oversaw the growth of the All-Star Game into a major entertainment event while having games nationally broadcast on the then Hughes Sports Network. His legacy with the ABA includes being the swing vote for the adoption of the league's red, white and blue basketball as well as creating the league's signature franchises, signing Rick Mount and multiple stars that include Hall of Fame Members Roger Brown, Mel Daniels, Louie Dampier, Dan Issel, Artis Gilmore, Bob Leonard (Coach) and Frank Ramsey (Coach). In 1974, Storen's swift rise to success and continued upward mobility was featured in a Sports Illustrated spread detailing him as one of the hottest young executives in the sports scene at the time. Following his tenure as commissioner, Storen went on to become owner of the ABA franchise, the Memphis Sounds along with musician Isaac Hayes. Three years later, he would become president and general manager of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association followed by stints as commissioner of the Continental Basketball Association (1987-88), the Global Basketball Association (1991-92) and the Indoor Professional Football League (1999), as well as becoming COO of the Georgia force of the Arena Football League. Mike is survived by his loving wife Lynn, and his beloved kids and their spouses: Hannah and Dan Hicks, Mark Storen and Triona Longeran, Duke and Barbara Storen, Lisa Roberts and Susan and Brad Duncan. Mike adored his 14 grandchildren: Hannah, Ellery and Riley Hicks, Patrick Storen, Kathleen Seaton, Murphy Storen, Sive Kelliher, James, Caroline, Alex, Julia and Erin Storen, and Riley and Braxton Duncan.