Nelson Doubleday Jr., the driving force behind his family purchasing the New York Mets in 1980 and Chairman of the team’s board during its last World Series title in 1986, is dead at age 81 after succumbing to pneumonia, his son-in-law told the New York Times Wednesday.
Doubleday was head honcho of the Mets from 1980 until he sold his stake in the team to Fred Wilpon in 2002.
After taking over the family business in 1978, Doubleday - an Oyster Bay, L.I. native - was instrumental in the company buying the then-lowly Mets from the Payson family and quickly turned things around.