Fred Knorr

Who was Fred Knorr?

Frederick August Knorr was a radio executive and part-owner of the Detroit Tigers in Major League Baseball from 1956 until his death in 1960.

A native of Detroit and a graduate of Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, Knorr purchased four Michigan radio stations, including WKMH, which broadcast Tigers games. In 1956, Knorr and John Fetzer led an ownership group intending to acquire the Tigers and Briggs Stadium from the Briggs family. The team was sold at a cost of $5,500,000 with assurances of retaining Walter Briggs, Jr., who was given the position of executive vice president. In addition to being owner, Knorr also served as president in 1957 before being replaced by Harvey Hansen on April 19, 1957.

The team under Knorr's new direction supported integration of baseball, a position that was contrary to Walter Briggs' longtime segregationist stance. On June 6, 1958, Ozzie Virgil, Sr. became the first black player for the Tigers.

In 1960, Knorr died in an accident while vacationing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Upon his death, Fetzer became majority owner.