Glass' ownership tenure saw a pair of American League titles and one World Series championshipGETTY IMAGES
Former Royals Owner DAVID GLASS died on Friday at 84 due to "complications associated with pneumonia," according to Lynn Worthy of the K.C. STAR. Glass owned the Royals for a “two decade run that saw the franchise win a World Series championship and reach another.” The Glass family sold the team to JOHN SHERMAN in November, “marking the end of an ownership that included periods of both futility and great success for the club.” Glass will be remembered by Royals personnel as a “fiercely competitive yet kind man with a deep devotion to the region and the game of baseball.” Royals Senior VP/Baseball Operations & GM DAYTON MOORE, hired by Glass in ‘06, said that Glass was “kind and humble despite being one of the country’s most successful businessmen.” Worthy noted under Glass’ leadership, Moore “modernized the organization’s infrastructure and also brought its international scouting efforts up to par on the way to building the top farm system in baseball” in ‘11. MLB Commissioner ROB MANFRED said, "Glass was one of our game’s most active and respected owners for more than a quarter of a century.” The Glass family will hold a public celebration of life on Jan. 27 in Rogers, Ark. (K.C. STAR, 1/18).
LOVED BY MANY: In K.C., Sam Mellinger wrote Glass was the "same man in the good and the bad -- inquisitive with those he trusted, involved in all decisions, and always in the background publicly.” He was able to generate "consistent loyalty and appreciation from those who worked for him.” Glass "helped shape modern baseball." He "made mistakes, then learned from them and corrected them” (K.C. STAR, 1/19). The AP’s Dave Skretta noted Glass “helped to keep the franchise in Kansas City following the death of Founding Owner EWING KAUFFMAN” in ‘93. Glass first served as “caretaker of the organization” until ‘00, when he purchased sole ownership for $96M-- a “strong bid at the time.” While his ownership "will be remembered for two American League pennants and a World Series trophy, for many years he was considered a pariah among fans for his notoriously frugal ways.” Glass also served on “key MLB committees.” He was the chairman of MLB Advanced Media, a member of MLB’s exec council and an “integral part of the finance committee” (AP, 1/17).
