George Postolos

George Postolos

• School Harvard University
• Born circa 1964 in San Antonio, TX USA

Biographical Information

George Postolos became President of the Houston Astros on November 27, 2011, shortly after Jim Crane was confirmed as the team's new owner; he replaced Tal Smith. Postolos had been rumored to be in line for the position as soon as it became clear in May of 2011 that the group led by Crane would be the one purchasing the Astros from Drayton McLane.

A native of San Antonio, TX, Postolos went to Harvard University from which he received an undergraduate degree in political theory in 1986, followed by a law degree in 1990. After graduating from law school, he served as a clerk in the Texas Supreme Court for a year, then joined a private legal practice in New York, NY, specializing in mergers and acquisitions. The firm also had the National Basketball Association as a client, something which changed Postolos' career trajectory significantly. He had a lifelong love of basketball, having worked some summers in the offices of the San Antonio Spurs in his hometown, where his father was a friend of Spurs owner Angelo Drossos.

His next foray into the world of sports came in 1997, where he spent a year as a special assistant to NBA Commissioner David Stern; he was in effect Stern's right-hand man. He then became President and Chief Operating Officer of the Houston Rockets NBA franchise, from 1998 to 2006. Among the highlights of his tenure were shepherding the move of the team to a new playing facility, and the delicate negotiations that landed the team Chinese superstar Yao Ming. He then founded the Postolos Group, LP, an investment and advisory firm that specializes in the sports and live entertainment business. The group made unsuccessful attempts at buying the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats and Detroit Pistons, before he teamed up with Crane, the owner of Crane Worldwide Logistics, to make a successful bid for the Astros.

Postolos' first move as President of the Astros was to hire Jeff Luhnow to be the team's new General Manager. He explained that he chose Luhnow because he had a successful player development background and would focus particularly on developing talent from Latin America. His tenure at the Astros' helm did not last long however. The 2012 season was disastrous for Houston, which set a franchise record for losses in a year in which they celebrated the team's 50th season and its last in the National League. The move to the American League in 2013 was made, but it was clear that the Astrois were the worst team in the ciurcuit by a wide margin and would again finish deep in last place. Not surprisingly, the poor performance on the field had dropped attendance to 26th in the majors, while a poor local television deal meant that broadcasts of their games were available to only 40% of homes in the Houston area. On May 17th, the Astros announced that Postolos was being replaced by a legendary name, Reid Ryan, the son of Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, who had found success in running the two minor league teams owned by his father, the AAA Round Rock Express and AA Corpus Christi Hooks.

Related Sites

• Article from Ultimate Astros