The Kansas City Royals announced on Friday that former owner and Chairman David Glass passed away last week. Glass was 84 years old. He was named the interim Chairman and CEO of the Royals in 1993 before officially purchasing the team in April of 2000 and sold the team to John Sherman in November of 2019.
According to Glass’s family, he passed away on January 9th due to complications with pneumonia. The Kansas City Star reports that he had no known health issues prior to selling the team. He leaves behind his wife Ruth, three children, six grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.
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Glass’s Legacy
Prior to owning the Royals, David Glass developed a reputation as a great business executive from his 30 years with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. He served 12 of those years as president and CEO, and he spent time on the Board of Directors until 2011. Glass, a Mountain View, Mo native, earned his business degree after serving in the Army from 1954-1956. He attended Missouri State University, where the College of Business currently bares his name.
During his time owning the Royals, Glass oversaw the franchise’s return to relevancy. On the field, the team struggled at first, and they did not finish with a winning record until 2013. From 2013-2017, the team endured great success, finishing .500 or better in all four seasons and winning two AL pennants and the 2015 World Series championship.
The two pennants and one World Series championship both double the previous totals in the franchise’s 30 seasons prior to Glass purchasing the team. Additionally, the Royals join the New York Yankees (2000-2001), Texas Rangers (2010-2011), and the Los Angeles Dodgers (2017-2018) as the only four franchises to win consecutive pennants in the 21st Century. Of those four, only the Royals and Yankees won a World Series Championship, as well.
Glass was able to purchase the franchise for $96,000,000. Entering 2019, the franchise was valued at $1,025,000,000, and Glass sold the team for $1,000,000,000. He also served on several committees within MLB, including the pension committee of the Baseball Hall of Fame Board of Directors.
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