George Michael Steinbrenner III (July 4, 1930 – July 13, 2010) was an American businessman who was the owner of the New York Yankees from 1973 until his death in 2010. He made his initial fortune as part of the Great Lakes shipping industry. After purchasing the Yankees, Steinbrenner made headlines for his meddling with team affairs, such as instilling a policy that prohibits facial hair and setting a trend with paying big salaries to marquee free agents like Reggie Jackson and Catfish Hunter. Manager Billy Martin alone was fired on five separate occasions. 