Pillar of Achievement - 1991

Irv Kaze is probably the only person to earn championship rings in professional baseball and football. He was Media Relations Director of the New York Yankees in 1981 when the Bronx Bombers won the American League pennant, and Senior Administrator of the Los Angeles Raiders when they won the 1984 Super Bowl.

During his highly regarded 30-plus years as a sports media specialist, Kaze was Administrator of Communications for Major League Baseball’s National League. Among his responsibilities was the development and promotion of the NL centennial, which included a CBS-TV film on the League's 100th year.

Kaze’s career began with the Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League. He moved-up to the parent Pittsburgh Pirates when the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles from Brooklyn in 1958. While with the Pirates, he developed the first "save" rule for baseball’s relief pitchers.

A two year post at CBS Sports was next, where he helped develop the “checked” center line for National Hockey League telecasts.

Kaze returned to L.A. to take on the Public Realtions Director’s position with the American League’s new Los Angeles Angels (Anaheim Angels) franchise. When Al Davis became Commissioner of the American Football League, Irv joined Davis's staff. After the AFL-NFL merger in 1967, he was Business Manager and Assistant to the President of the San Diego Chargers for seven years.

Irv Kaze was Vice-President and later Senior Vice-President of the NBA's San Diego Clippers in their first two years of operation. He was then named Commissioner of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), the official developmental league of the NBA.

In recent years, Irv has hosted his own weekly sports radio talk show (KIEV) in Los Angeles. He has won numerous honors, including the Southern California Sports Broadcasters’ “Best Talk Show Host” for three consecutive years; and, “Best Sports Show”, by the Los Angeles Press Club.