The man who brought the Rangers to Arlington, Tom Vandergriff, has died at 84
Gerry Fraley
The Dallas Morning News
December 30, 2010
Two presidents could not stop the relentless Tom Vandergriff from his mission to bring Major League Baseball to North Texas.
Vandergriff, as mayor of Arlington, began his quest in the 1960s. That irritated the business and political heavy hitters in Houston, particularly Judge Roy Hofheinz. They called on Lyndon Johnson, the 36th president, for help.
Johnson put in a telephone call to Vandergriff. For more than an hour, Johnson railed that there should be only one major league team in the state of Texas, and it belonged in Houston. As was his custom, Johnson turned the air blue with his verbs and adjectives.
That approach worked for Johnson when dealing with members of the Senate and the House. Not this time.
"I just listened," said Vandergriff, who left Johnson fuming.
By 1971, Vandergriff had targeted a franchise: the woeful Washington Senators. President Richard Nixon made it clear that he opposed the move.
Nixon sent a son-in-law, David Eisenhower , to tell Senators owner Bob Short that the White House would be very displeased if the club were moved. Vandergriff just happened to be in Short's office when Eisenhower arrived. Short had Vandergriff hide in a closet until Eisenhower departed.
There is no record of Nixon's response when the 1972 season opened with the Senators having moved to Arlington and becoming the Texas Rangers.
Vandergriff, who died Thursday at 84, was a constant presence around the Rangers. Because the city of Arlington owned broadcast rights, he served as an analyst on telecasts from 1975 to 1977. He led the drive to get a new ballpark built for the 1994 season.
Most of all, he would not let two presidents stand in his way. Well done, Mr. Mayor.
