Former NSGA Board Chairman Craig W. Koenig Passes Away

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Marty Maciaszek, Director of Communications and Team Dealer Division
mmaciaszek@nsga.org
(847) 296-6742, ext. 1260

DOWNERS GROVE, ILLINOIS (November 19, 2024) – Craig W. Koenig, who served the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) as Board Chairman, passed away on November 16. Koenig was 81.

Koenig oversaw the growth of the Cleveland, Ohio-based family business, Koenig Sporting Goods, as its chairman and chief executive officer from two stores in the late 1960s into an independent retail chain of 40 stores in the 1990s. He served on the NSGA Board of Directors from 1985-92 and was Chairman in 1990-91.

His father Walter was inducted into the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame in 1988 and his younger brother Brian became president and chief operating officer of Koenig Sporting Goods. Craig Koenig grew up in East Cleveland, received his undergraduate and Master’s degrees from Indiana University and joined the family business in 1968 after a brief stint with NCR in Dayton, Ohio.

“We are very saddened to learn of the passing of Mr. Koenig, and extend our condolences to his family, friends and colleagues,” said Matt Carlson, NSGA President & CEO. “Mr. Koenig was a very astute businessman who was willing to share his passion and expertise with the rest of the sporting goods industry. Mr. Koenig and his family were incredibly supportive of NSGA’s mission to empower sporting goods retailers and team dealers with the tools they needed for success.”

The family business started in 1914 as Koenig Hardware Company by Clarence W. Koenig. His son Walter entered the business in 1933 and expanded the sporting goods section into a full-line department that covered 50 percent of the store, which became known as the C.W. Koenig Company.

When Craig and Brian Koenig entered the family business in the late 1960s, one of its two stores was still split between hardware and sporting goods sales.The other location was recognized as the first sporting goods retailer in an enclosed shopping mall in 1967 and that led to a decision to focus solely on sporting goods.

Koenig Sporting Goods expanded its retail footprint to Akron, Ohio, Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania, Buffalo and upstate New York, Virginia and West Virginia. It also increased the presence of its team division in those markets. In August 1997, the Woolworth Corporation bought 27 of the Koenig Sporting Goods Stores and converted them into Champs Sports stores.

Koenig and his wife Pattie were long-time members of Chagrin Valley Country Club in Chagrin Falls, Ohio and he served as president. He is survived by his wife Pattie, their children Jessica and Bridget, granddaughter Colette Palmer, his brother Brian and sister Debbie. Those he was predeceased by include his parents Walter and Eleanor and his sister Barbara.

A visitation will be held from 4 p.m.-8 p.m. ET, Wednesday, November 20 at the Tabone-Komorowski Funeral Home in Solon, Ohio. A Mass of Christian Burial will start at 10 a.m. ET, Thursday, November 21, at St. Rita’s Church in Solon. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Craig W. Koenig’s name can be made to: Saint Anthony Wayside Shrine, 9531 Akron-Canfield Road, P.O. Box 595, Canfield, Ohio 44406-0595.

About the National Sporting Goods Association

Since 1929, the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) has been the leading voice and go-to resource for the sporting goods industry. NSGA helps the industry grow its businesses through research, advocacy and networking. For more information about membership or NSGA’s products and services, please visit www.nsga.org.