It's a good thing Ray Kroc knew who the Padres were 45 years ago, even if his wife didn’t.
Kroc was reading the sports pages one day when he came across a story about the Padres being for sale.
“My God,” he thought, “San Diego is a gorgeous place. Why don’t I go over there and look at that ballpark?”
Kroc’s interest was sufficiently sparked that he told wife Joan, “I’m thinking of buying the Padres.”
“Why would you want to buy a monastery?” she replied.
Joan didn’t know much about baseball back then. She would come to know a great deal more after Ray’s $12 million purchase of the ballclub in 1974 saved baseball for San Diego, halting the franchise’s move to Washington, D.C., mere moments before the moving vans arrived.
Kroc is easily the most impactful person in Padres history. After all, they would have been history had the McDonald’s magnate not come along when he did.
As the Padres ready to celebrate their 50th anniversary at Saturday's game at Petco Park, here is a list (in no particular order) of the most impactful off-the-field people in the franchise’s 50-year history:
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Ray Kroc
He forever endeared himself to fans when he took to the public address system during the eighth inning of the 1974 home opener against Houston and criticized his team for “stupid ballplaying” in the midst of a 9-5 loss to the Astros.
But Kroc put his money where his mouth was, ushering in a new era for the franchise. He was eager to spend on free agents in order to improve the ballclub, although his initial gs met with limited success.
Kroc’s efforts finally began to pay off in the early 1980s, although he didn’t live to see his team reach the World Series. Kroc died in January of 1984, nine months before the Padres beat the Cubs in the NLCS and faced the Tigers in the Series.
He was, no doubt, there in spirit (Padres players and coaches wore his initials RAK on their sleeves) and remains one of the most beloved figures in San Diego sports history some four decades after his death.
And why not? As a sports owner, besides winning what better legacy could there be than saving a sport for a city?
John Moores/Larry Lucchino
Moores and Lucchino arrived in San Diego during one of Major League Baseball’s darkest hours (the 1994 strike) and guided the Padres to some of the franchise’s brightest moments (highlighted by the 1998 World Series appearance).
Moores purchased the Padres for $80 million from the ownership group led by Tom Werner. That, in itself, deserved the undying gratitude of Padres fans. Moores became chairman of the board in a group that included Lucchino as the team’s president and CEO.
Within two weeks of acquiring the team — and with settlement of the strike still four months away — the Padres made one of the biggest trades in their history.
They acquired center fielder Steve Finley and third baseman Ken Caminiti, among others, from the Houston Astros in a 12-player deal that was the largest in baseball in 37 years.
Finley and Caminiti were among the first pieces to the 1998 team that would reach the World Series, on the eve of a vote for a new downtown ballpark.
Voter approval led to the construction of Petco Park, the lasting legacy of Moores and Lucchino. The downtown ballpark was promised as a springboard to success for the Padres.
It didn’t turn out that way during the latter stages of Moores’ tenure as owner, but Petco did serve as a catalyst for downtown redevelopment and the ballpark will be enjoyed by generations to come.
Ron Fowler/Peter Seidler
Ths is now the eighth season since the Fowler/Seidler ownership group purchased the Padres.
While the franchise has not yet realized the on-field success they seek, one can squint and see it on the horizon.
There has been unprecedented investment on and off the field.
Petco Park has been meticulously maintained — most visibly with new video boards — to keep it fresh and welcoming for fans.
Spending on international gs three years ago approached $100 million and, in conjunction with recent drafts, helped the organization come to be regarded for the No. 1 farm system in baseball.
Free agent spending, last year on first baseman Eric Hosmer and this year on third baseman Manny Machado, showed a willingness to go after players that was equally encouraging.
For a franchise that has known more struggles than success during its 50-year history, there’s not much more a Padres fan could ask from ownership.
Jerry Coleman
One of the most beloved figures in Padres history spent only one season in the dugout and never played an inning for the team.
Yet Coleman easily is the most heroic figure the franchise has ever known.
Coleman became the lead announcer for the Padres in 1972, serving behind the microphone for all but one of the next 42 years. That one year — 1980 — Coleman was called down to the dugout and served as manager of the team.
He endeared himself to Padres fans with signature phrases such as “Oh, Doctor!” and “Hang a star on that one” as well as malaprops that became known as “Colemanisms.”
But what set him apart was service to his country, not the ballclub. Coleman’s baseball career was interrupted twice by military service — in World War II and the Korean War.
Coleman spent 70 years in baseball, but it still comes in second to service for his country.
Kevin Towers/Bruce Bochy
Towers and Bochy forged a friendship as minor league teammates in the Padres’ farm system, but it is their post-playing careers together that is most memorable.
Towers and Bochy were hired as Padres general manager and manager, respectively, in 1995 and presided over the most successful period in franchise history.
The pair spent a dozen years together (Towers’ tenure would last through the 2009 season), guiding the franchise to five winning seasons, four division championships and a 1998 World Series appearance along the way.
Towers had a knack for seeing something in pitchers cast aside by other teams and pointing them toward success with the Padres.
Bochy, who guided the Padres from 1995-2006, had the most games managed in franchise history and leads the team in wins (and losses) with a regular season record of 951–975.
Jack McKeon
He became forever known as “Trader Jack” soon after being hired in 1980 as the general manager of the Padres.
During his first offseason he started making the deals that would lead to the Padres' first pennant, acquiring such starters as catcher Terry Kennedy, shortstop Garry Templeton, outfielder Carmelo Martinez and pitcher Dave Dravecky through trades, and first baseman Steve Garvey and third baseman Graig Nettles through free agent gs.
McKeon, with his ever-present cigar, added manager to his title after replacing Larry Bowa when the team got off to a 16-30 start during the 1988 season.
He stayed in both roles for two years before an ownership change foreshadowed the end of his days — and trades — in San Diego.
Dick Williams
Having taken Boston and Oakland to the World Series, winning two titles with the A’s, the tough, gruff Williams was a proven winner when the Padres hired him in 1982.
He worked similar wonders in San Diego when the Padres reached the postseason for the first time, beating the Cubs in the NLCS to reach the World Series. That made Williams one of only two managers (with Bill McKechnie) to take three teams to the Series.
His overall record in four seasons managing the team was 337-311. He is the only manager in franchise history who never had a losing season.
The Veterans Committee elected Williams to the Hall of Fame in 2008.
Buzzie Bavasi
While C. Arnholt Smith was the original owner of the Padres, it was Bavasi who paved the way for the franchise to the National League.
Bavasi had been with the Dodgers for nearly three decades when he was hired by Smith in 1967 to make San Diego a major league city. It was Bavasi’s relationships and influence throughout baseball that were instrumental in the city being awarded a franchise in May of 1968.
Bavasi served as the franchise’s founding president, basically building the ballclub from scratch. Among other things, he oversaw the 1968 expansion draft, stocked the front office and was intimately involved in day-to-day details. Of course, that also meant dealing with the problems that came with a perpetually cash-strapped franchise.
Bavasi survived the Smith ownership and welcomed Kroc’s purchase of the team in 1974, serving as president for four more seasons.
A classic storyteller, Bavasi’s time with the Padres provided an interesting chapter in a career that spanned five decades.
Ted Leitner
He has virtually done it all over the past four decades as arguably the most notable sports broadcast figure in the city’s history.
Leitner has broadcast all the major sports that have come — and gone — through the city, served as a TV sports anchor and radio talk show host and he remains the voice of San Diego State football and basketball.
Through it all, Leitner has an unbroken bond with Padres fans. This is the 40th consecutive season broadcasting the games of “his” Padres.
The San Diego Chicken
All Ted Giannoulas was looking for was an opportunity to get into a major league baseball game for free, and he stumbled on a career as the most iconic mascot in sports history.
His two-week gig wearing a chicken suit for radio station KGB was coming to an end, so Giannoulas secured a free ticket to the Padres’ 1974 home opener.
He was an instant hit, honing his act over hundreds of Padres games while entertaining millions of fans.
The Chicken parlayed it into national — and worldwide — fame, but he never forgot where he got his start.
He will entertain the crowd once again when the Padres host the San Francisco Giants on July 27. All fans in attendance will receive a free San Diego Chicken bobblehead.
