Bill Dwyer (mobster)

Bill Dwyer
Born:February 23, 1883
Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Died:December 10, 1946 (aged 63)
Belle Harbor, Queens, New York, U.S.
Career information
Position(s)Owner
CollegeNone
Career history
As owner
1925–1936New York Americans (NHL)
1928–1930Pittsburgh Pirates (NHL)
1930–1931Philadelphia Quakers (NHL)
1930–1933Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL)

William Vincent Dwyer (February 23, 1883 – December 10, 1946), known as "Big Bill" Dwyer, was an early Irish-American Prohibition gangster and bootlegger in New York during the 1920s. He used his profits to purchase sports properties, including the New York Americans and Pittsburgh Pirates of the National Hockey League (NHL), as well as the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National Football League (NFL). He eventually was brought down by the U.S. government through legal actions, leaving Dwyer penniless at the end of his life in 1946.[non sequitur][not verified in body]