Mike Ilitch was born in Detroit in 1929 to Macedonian immigrants Sotir and Sultana Ilitch. His father was a tool-and-die maker. A graduate of Cooley High School in Detroit, Michigan, Ilitch entered the U.S. Marine Corps for four years. After his return home to Detroit, the Detroit Tigers offered him $3,000 if he would sign to play baseball, and Ilitch had a four-year minor league career from 1952 to 1955. Ilitch played mostly second base for the Tigers’, New York Yankees’, and Washington Senators’ organizations in the Pennsylvania–Ontario–New York League, Cotton States League, and Florida International League. He was forced out of his playing career due to a knee injury. After leaving baseball, Ilitch started a pizza business in 1959. With the help of his wife, Marian, the Ilitches opened Little Caesars Pizza Treat in Garden City, Michigan. As of 2012, the family’s entities remain privately held. In 1999, the Ilitches established Ilitch Holdings, Inc. to provide their various enterprises with professional and technical services. They hold the titles of chairman and vice chairwoman, respectively. The combined total revenues for these enterprises in 2007 reportedly exceeded $1.8 billion. Ilitch had fallen off Forbes magazine’s annual list of the “400 Richest Americans”, but in 2006 he returned to the list at #242. As of December 2016, he was #86 on the Forbes 400, and had an estimated net worth of $6.1 billion.

In 2000, Mike Illitch and his wife appointed two of their children as co-presidents of Ilitch Holdings, Inc.: Christopher Ilitch and daughter Denise Ilitch, an attorney. Christopher Ilitch was named to the new post of CEO and president. Denise Ilitch has left the privately held company “to pursue other opportunities”. In 1982, Ilitch bought the Detroit Red Wings from Bruce Norris for US$8 million, and turned the team into a perennial contender for the Stanley Cup. After years of drafting top picks and grooming their young players, and with proper management and leadership, the Red Wings became an elite NHL team. They made the Stanley Cup finals three times between the 1994–1995 and 1997–1998 seasons, winning the Cup in 1997 (fifteen years after Ilitch purchased the Red Wings) and again in 1998. The Red Wings added two more championships in 2002 and 2008. Prior to the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Forbes magazine ranked the Red Wings as the fifth-most valuable franchise in the NHL, despite a $16 million operating loss. For the 2007–2008 hockey season, the team won the President’s Trophy for the best record in the NHL for the sixth time—the most of any NHL team since the President’s Trophy was introduced in 1985–1986. The Red Wings have made the playoffs for 25 consecutive seasons through 2015–2016. The 25 consecutive playoff berths is the longest active streak of post-season appearances in all of North American professional sports. It is tied for third all-time in NHL history after 29 consecutive appearances by the Boston Bruins from 1967–1968 to 1995–1996, 28 consecutive trips by the Chicago Blackhawks from 1969–1970 through 1996–1997, and is tied with the 25 consecutive appearances by the St. Louis Blues from 1979–1980 to 2003–2004.

Mike Ilitch purchased the Detroit Tigers in 1992 from fellow pizza magnate Tom Monaghan, the founder of Domino’s Pizza. Under his ownership, the Tigers logged losing records in twelve out of thirteen seasons before their turnaround in 2006. After acquiring the team, Ilitch expressed interest in moving the struggling team to a new ballpark. In 2000, his expectations were realized when the team moved from Tiger Stadium into the newly built Comerica Park. He financed approximately 60% of the $350 million facility; the taxpayers of the greater Detroit-Wayne County and federal grants covered the balance. Various Ilitch Holdings, Inc. enterprises manage and operate Comerica Park and its concessions. In 2005, the Detroit Tigers hosted MLB’s 76th All-Star Game at Comerica Park. All-Star Week in Detroit produced the highest-grossing revenue in the history of the All-Star Game. Forbes magazine ranked the Tigers #22 in its 2005 list of the Top 30 most valuable sports franchises. When the Tigers won the AL Wild Card under manager Jim Leyland and general manager Dave Dombrowski in 2006, they made the playoffs for the first time since 1987. Detroit eventually lost in five games to the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. Since Dombrowski was brought in, Mike Ilitch has steadily agreed to bring in marquee free agents and finance a larger payroll, with the Tigers beginning the 2008 season as one of the highest-salaried teams in baseball. On September 16, 2011, the Tigers won the Central division title—their first division crown since Ilitch’s purchase. On January 24, 2012, Ilitch signed Prince Fielder to a nine-year, $214 million contract, the fourth-largest contract in baseball history. The 2012 Tigers went all the way to the World Series, but were swept by the San Francisco Giants. Prior to the 2013 season, Ilitch agreed to sign starting pitcher Justin Verlander to a seven-year, $180 million contract extension, at the time the highest single offer ever tendered to a major league pitcher. Mike Ilitch died on February 10, 2017, at the age of 87 in Detroit, Michigan.