Nolan Ryan has sold his shares in the Texas Rangers to Bob Simpson and Ray Davis, and resigned his position as CEO of the team, effective October 31st. The move ends a season full of speculation that there was tension between Ryan and the owners of the ballclub.
In a press conference today the 64-year-old Ryan indicated that while he doesn’t want to be CEO of another major league club, he is not closing the door to returning to another position in baseball sometime down the road. He did make clear that nothing was imminent though, and he was looking forward to some time away from the game and wanted to spend time on his ranch and with his grandchildren.
“Will I be the CEO of another major league ballclub? No, I won’t,” Ryan said in a news conference at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on Thursday afternoon. “But I’m not going to sit here today and tell you that I don’t know that a year from now might bring. This might be the final chapter of my baseball career. If there was something else I did, it certainly wouldn’t be in the role I had with the Rangers.”
Ryan was originally hired by former team owner Tom Hicks in 2008 and given the title of President of the ball club. He was elevated to CEO before the 2011 season, by the current ownership group.
However problems surfaced when the club restructured the front office prior to this season. Daniels was given the title of president of baseball operations, while Rick George, (now at the University of Colorado) was named president of business operations. This left Ryan, the CEO, with undefined responsibility with the club.
“On behalf of Major League Baseball, I thank Nolan for his service to the Texas Rangers since 2008, a successful era that has been most memorable to the club’s fans,” MLB commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. “During times of significant change for the franchise, Nolan has been a constant — accessible, dedicated and an icon to his fellow Texans who love our game.
“Nolan’s unique perspective as a legendary player and an accomplished executive has been invaluable to the Rangers franchise. I am certain that Nolan will continue to be a great credit to Major League Baseball and an exemplary ambassador for the National Pastime in the state of Texas and beyond.”
Ryan played five seasons for the Rangers after signing with the team as a free agent following the 1988 season. He threw two of his seven no-hitters in a Rangers uniform.
Ryan’s son, Reid, is the president of the Houston Astros.
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