Rangers honor former exec Tom Schieffer with Hall of Fame induction
ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers honored one of the key builders of the franchise with the induction of former Team President Tom Schieffer into their Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Schieffer was honored in a pregame ceremony for his contributions, which included spearheading the drive to build Globe Life Park in Arlington, which opened in 1994.
"For someone who had no arm, no speed and no power, being inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame is a pretty daunting event," Schieffer said. "To get here you have to have a lot of luck and a lot of help, and I had an abundance of both."
Schieffer is the 17th inductee into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame. He joins the list of inductees who contributed in a non-playing capacity that includes former manager Johnny Oates, former Arlington mayor Tom Vandergriff, former general manager/broadcaster Tom Grieve and broadcasters Mark Holtz and Eric Nadel.
Schieffer was part of the ownership group that purchased the Rangers in 1989 and served as the teams' top executive until 1999.
Former President George W. Bush was the Rangers' Managing General Partner during Schieffer's tenure and honored him with a video message played during the ceremony.
"Tom's a baseball man, a loyal Ranger fan and he sure knows how to build a good baseball park," Bush said. "Congratulations, Tom."
Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig also honored Schieffer in a video message
"One of my favorite people, as well as baseball executives, in my long career. Just did a brilliant job here," Selig said. "I know when they took the Rangers and had this ballpark built and built this franchise up, what a remarkable job Tom did."
More than 50 former Rangers players and coaches were in attendance as part of the team's Alumni Weekend. Grieve introduced Schieffer to the crowd at Globe Life Park, which opened as The Ballpark in Arlington when it replaced Arlington Stadium.
Much of Schieffer's speech was dedicated to the many people who helped build and operate the stadium, which hosted the 1995 All-Star Game and continues to serve as one of Major League Baseball's top venues.
Schieffer presided over the Rangers when they played their first post-season games after winning the American League West in 1996.
"This ballpark and this franchise will always have a special place in my heart," Schieffer said. "The ownership group that I was a part of was made up of some terrific men and women who shared a common goal to make the Rangers a model franchise on and off the field."
Follow Keith Whitmire on Twitter: @Keith_Whitmire
