Dr. John J. McMullen

Photo courtesy of:
New Jersey Devils

Born in Jersey City, NJ, on May 10, 1918, to Charles and Isabella McMullen as the third of five children. Raised in Jersey City and Montclair, he graduated from Montclair High School in 1936, and entered the United States Naval Academy. McMullen graduated in 1940 with a degree in Electrical Engineering and served in World War II. During his service, he earned a Master of Science from M.I.T. and Doctorate of Mechanical Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. He retired as a Commander in 1954.

From 1954-57, McMullen served as Chief of the Office of Ship Construction and Repair in the U.S. Maritime Administration. In 1958, he established John J. McMullen Associates, a Naval Architects and Marine Engineers firm which he owned for thirty years. Over his career, he operated United States Lines and invested in and directed MPR Associates. He owned Hudson Engineering, Norton Lilly, Perth Amboy Dry Dock, Cornell & Underhill, and Fabco in New Jersey.

In 1979, McMullen became majority owner/Chairman of the Houston Astros MLB franchise and Houston Sports Association, which he operated successfully for fifteen years, as a team, major exhibition facility, and regional sports television network. In 1982, Governor Brendan Byrne encouraged him to pursue an NHL franchise for the newly built Meadowlands Arena. McMullen and John Whitehead purchased the Colorado Rockies and transferred the club to the Meadowlands as a public service to their native state and community. A “Name-That-Team” contest was coordinated by New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority through local newspapers. The clear winner was “New Jersey Devils,” from the Pine Barrens mythical legend.

McMullen was the Chairman of the Devils, 1982-2000. He went outside the NHL, hiring Lou Lamoriello from Providence College as President/General Manager in 1987. Their partnership ultimately led to three Stanley Cups in New Jersey- 1995, 2000, 2003.

McMullen was a Commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey from 1974-84. He received the United States Naval Academy Distinguished Graduate Award in 2000 and received Honorary Doctor Degrees from Monmouth University in 1995 and Webb Institute in 1994. He was inducted into the New Jersey Sports Hall of Fame in 1996 and New Jersey High School Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in 2016. Annually, the Devils present the Dr. John J. McMullen Award to an individual(s) who have supported amateur hockey throughout the state. He was the Devils first-ever Ring of Honor Inductee in 2017.

McMullen married Jacqueline Joy Everhart from Mt. Vernon, Ohio in 1955. She was working for the Department of State in Washington, D.C., while he was working at the Maritime Administration. Dr. and Mrs. McMullen started McMullen Family Foundation in 1993, which partners principally with education-based New Jersey organizations. They have three children: Peter, Catherine, and John Jr., five grandchildren: James Blake, Bridget Blake, Timothy Blake, Elise McMullen Bitter, and Peter McMullen Jr., and four great- grandchildren: Flynn Blake, Everhart Blake, Brady Bitter, and Blaise Bitter. McMullen, 87, died at home in Montclair on September 16, 2005.