George Steinbrenner Biography
George Steinbrenner Biography. George Steinbrenner was born on July 4, 1930 in Rocky River, Ohio. His father, Henry Steinbrenner, owned a Great Lakes shipping company. His mother, Rita, managed their home in Bay Village, the suburb of Cleveland where Steinbrenner spent his formative years. As a child, Steinbrenner delivered eggs to earn spending money. His father, a former collegiate track and field star, instructed him to work hard and urged him to try competitive athletics.
At age twelve, George Steinbrenner took up hurdling. Whenever he finished second in a track meet, his father appeared instantly at his side, demanding to know: “What the hell happened? How’d you let that guy beat you?” These scoldings instilled a perfectionist streak in the young Steinbrenner that he often cited as the key to his later success.