Harry Weltman, the general manager charged with resurrecting the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1980s, died early Thursday from complications with Alzheimer's. He was 81.
Weltman was a Cleveland native who attended Glenville High School and Baldwin-Wallace College, where he played basketball, baseball and football. He is in the sports hall of fame for both schools.
But it was in sports management – particularly in reviving the downtrodden Cavaliers -- where Weltman left his greatest mark.
"In a lot of ways he started the turnaround in Cleveland basketball," said George Karl, the coach Weltman hired to lead that revival. "When the Gunds bought the team, Harry was the leader in that group. And the Gunds continued for many, many, years, but Harry doesn't get much of that credit."