If you squint, you can make out 9/11 Memorial President Joe Daniels (left) in the jumbotron above New York Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.  Joe, who's a big Yankee fan, is standing next to Chuck Imhof, the vice president of New York sales for Delta. The airline is one of more than 170,000 individual contributors from across the United States and 35 countries that have donated to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.  

 By 9/11 Memorial Staff

George Steinbrenner, who died Tuesday of a heart attack at age 80, is known for being the chief architect behind rebuilding the Yankees.  He was also a chief supporter behind helping to build the 9/11 Memorial.

“He was a champion who made New York a better place, and who always gave back to the city he loved,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement. “He has left an indelible legacy on the Yankees, on baseball, and on our city, and he leaves us in the only way that would be appropriate: as a reigning world champion.”

Under Steinbrenner’s leadership, the Yankees have made a number of contributions to help rebuild the city in the wake of 9/11 and create a lasting tribute at the World Trade Center. The Yankees organization donated $ 1 million to help build and sustain the 9/11 Memorial.  In 2007, the Yankees hosted a ceremony as part of the 9/11 Memorial’s national tour to help raise funds and awareness for the memorial at Steinbrenner Field, the ball club’s spring training facility in Tampa, Fla.

First responders, 9/11 family members and public officials attended the ceremony. During the event, the public was invited to sign a steel beam that is being used in the construction of the memorial. The beam, which weighs about 4 tons and is about 37-feet long, was signed by George’s son, Hal Steinbrenner.

The Yankees' support goes beyond donations. In the weeks after 9/11, Yankee Stadium was host to an interfaith “Prayer for America” service to help heal a grieving city and country. The event was televised around the world and helped victims’ family members, survivors, first responders, and the public come together in a meaningful way.

Read more here about a ticket stub from the September 23, 2001 prayer service donated to the museum’s permanent collection. In the collection, there is also a well-worn Yankees baseball cap donated to the museum by the family of Steven Morello, who was killed on 9/11.   

Through artifacts linked to the beloved Bronx Bombers, future visitors to the 9/11 Memorial Museum will learn more about the history of the Sept. 11 attacks and how New York City and the rest of the world responded.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff