Born in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, Shea attended George Washington High School. … See more

In 1958, one year after the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants left for Los Angeles and San Francisco, respectively (which left the city with one major league baseball team, the American League Yankees), … See more

Shea, a one-time owner of the Boston Yanks of the National Football League (NFL), was on the board of directors of the NFL's Washington Redskins from April 1961 until his death. He further persuaded Harry Wismer to … See more

Shea was also hired by Nassau County to persuade the National Hockey League (NHL) to grant a team to the then new Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, resulting in the New York Islanders, who began play … See more

Shea was integral to bringing the New Jersey Americans of the American Basketball Association to Long Island in 1968 and arranging for them to play as the Nets in the Nassau County (they are now based in Br… See more

Shea died at age 84 on October 2, 1991, from complications of a stroke he had suffered two years earlier. In 1992, the Mets wore a memorial patch on the left sleeve to honor Shea's memory. See more