William Modell | Sporting-goods exec, 86

William Modell, 86, the head of the family-owned Modell's Sporting Goods chain and a philanthropist who gave millions of dollars to research including Crohn's disease, has died.

Mr. Modell died Thursday at a Manhattan hospital of complications from prostate cancer, the company said.

He became chairman of the company in 1985 after taking over from his father, Henry. Under his leadership, the chain grew from four stores to 136 in about a dozen states in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region. Last year, the chain's revenues were about $635 million.

The store had a modest beginning when Mr. Modell's grandfather Morris opened a general store in lower Manhattan in 1889. It thrived after World War II by selling Army surplus merchandise at low prices.

An ardent philanthropist, Mr. Modell was a founder or cofounder of a number of medical foundations. He raised millions of dollars for medical research into Crohn's disease, which claimed the life of son Michael in 2001.

- AP