The older of the two Turkish-born brothers who were involved in the management of the New York Cosmos throughout that team’s existence. The two were co-owners of Atlantic Records, which was purchased in 1970 by the Kinney International corporation, which later named its name to Warner Communications. Together, they convinced a group of fellow Kinney executives to invest in an NASL franchise.
Originally, Nesuhi Ertegun was president of the Cosmos. He moved up to chairman of the board after Clive Toye departed from the Cosmos in 1977. The original contact that led to the founding of the Cosmos began with a chance meeting between Nesuhi Ertegun and NASL commissioner Phil Woosnam in Mexico in 1970.
Inducted in 2003.
