<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> Fitz Eugene Dixon Jr., a former owner of the Philadelphia 76ers who also served in a variety of civic leadership positions, died Wednesday of melanoma. He was 82. Dixon died at Abington Memorial Hospital, according to Helweg Funeral Service of Jenkintown, which is handling arrangements. Dixon is perhaps best know for bringing Julius "Dr. J" Erving to town in 1976 by paying the basketball star about $6.6 million - only a few months after buying the team for $8 million. Under his ownership, the Sixers got to the NBA finals twice, but won no championship. He sold the team in 1980 after a decline in attendance and financial losses. One of Dixon's most visible contributions to Philadelphia is the Robert Indiana sculpture "LOVE," which stands in John F. Kennedy Plaza, popularly known as Love Park. Indiana had loaned the sculpture to the city for its bicentennial celebration, but the artist later took back the work because the city said it could not afford the $45,000 asking price. The iconic sculpture had become a beloved part of the cityscape, so Dixon offered Indiana $35,000 to return it, and the artist accepted. Dixon served on the boards of many universities, including being the founding chairman of the State System of Higher Education's board of governors. The system was founded in 1982, bringing together a variety of former teachers' colleges and Indiana University of Pennsylvania. "Mr. Dixon helped give life to the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education," State System Chancellor Judy G. Hample said. "As the founding chairman of the Board of Governors, Mr. Dixon directed the creation and development of the State System from its very beginning." Although he did not have to earn a living, he taught English and French at his alma mater, Episcopal Academy, where he also coached several sports teams and served as athletic director. "I'm fortunate enough that I don't have to go out there and earn a paycheck," Dixon said in 1976. "But I couldn't sit home and do nothing. ... I'd be a martini drunkard at the end of six months." Burial will be private, the funeral home said. A memorial service is planned for Sept. 29 at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia. </div> Source
I saw this on CSN yesterday really sad he was probably the best owner any Philadelphia sports franchise has ever had despite his short tenure. He lived a fulfilling life…
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Julius Erving was somewhere in Arizona when he was informed that Fitz Eugene Dixon, the 76ers' owner who brought him into the NBA in 1976, had died yesterday. Dixon, who had melanoma, was 83. Erving, the legendary Dr. J, said he deserved many more years. "There are some people you'd like to see live forever," Erving said. "He was one of those guys. If the Lord had given him 20 more years, those would have been 20 years Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the country would have been better off. "He was a total giver, gifted with something most people just dream about. I remember serving with him on the Fairmount Park Commission board, so I knew him outside the world of basketball. I saw him about two years ago and asked him about the 5:30 a.m.-to-10 p.m. itinerary that he kept. He said, 'I can't hang like I used to. I can do about half of that.' " Dixon bought the Sixers in May 1976. The team acquired Erving on Oct. 21, 1976, from the New York Nets, just before that franchise became one of four in the now-defunct American Basketball Association to be taken into the NBA. After then-Sixers general manager Pat Williams described Erving as "the Babe Ruth of basketball" and explaining that the transaction would cost $6 million, Dixon instructed Williams to get it done. The Sixers, led by Erving, reached the championship series in 1976-77, losing in six games to the Portland Trail Blazers. Yesterday, Erving cherished the memory of Dixon's willingness to acquire him. "Good for both of us," Erving said.</div> Source
