When his tour of duty was over, Ilitch signed with the Tigers for $5000 and spent three years in the Detroit Tigers farm system, playing short-stop for the Tampa Smokers, among other teams. His family, however, did not support his career choice. According to Michael Oneal of
BusinessWeek, "Sotir Ilitch thought baseball was a bum sport."
In 1954, Sotir Ilitch arranged a blind date for his son with Ilitch's future wife Marian, then a Delta Airlines reservation clerk. They married the following year and eventually raised seven children: Denise, Ron, Michael Jr., Lisa, Atanas, Christopher, and Carole. Ilitch's career in baseball floundered. After breaking a leg, his career was over. To support the family, Ilitch worked for a cement company. He also worked as a door-to-door salesman for a dinnerware company and sold aluminum awnings. Ilitch thought his future was secure when he became a partner in an awning business. This, however, did not last long as his two partners insisted on buying him out.
The Pizza Business
Ilitch founded Little Caesars Pizza in 1959 with $10,000 he had saved. Ilitch had previously made pizzas to support himself when he was playing in the minor leagues. Of his initial interest in the pizza business, Ilitch told Pat Jordan of the New York Times Magazine, "I was fascinated by water and flour.
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