Modell's Chairman Dead at 86

New York City William Modell, the head of the family-owned Modell's Sporting Goods chain, has died at age 86.

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

Modell 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.

A resident of Hewlett Harbor on Long Island, Modell is survived by his wife, Shelby, and two children.