Jerry McMorris

Jerry Dean McMorris

• School University of Colorado
• High School Cathedral High School (Denver)

• Born October 9, 1940 in Rock Island, IL USA
• Died May 8, 2012 in Denver, CO USA

Biographical Information

Jerry McMorris became one of the owners of the Colorado Rockies beginning in 1992, one year after the team was formed as a result of expansion but before it began playing on the field.

A graduate of the University of Colorado Business School, McMorris made his fortune in the trucking business. He was originally a minority investor in the group that was awarded a franchise by the National League, but increased his role as original lead owner Mickey Monus ran into legal problems that threatened to shut down the team before it had played a single game. As a result, he was named team President in 1992, a position he held until 2001, when he was succeeded by Keli McGregor. He remained a part-owner of the team until selling his shares to fellow owners Dick Monfort and his brother Charles Monfort in 2005.

Under McMorris's leadership, the Rockies were extremely successful out of the gate, drawing an amazing 4.483 million fans to Mile High Stadium in their inaugural season in 1993. When the 1994 strike threatened to destroy the foundations he had worked hard to put in place, he was one of the most active owners in trying to find a solution to resolve the dispute, standing up to some of the more hard-line owners. In 1995, the Rockies reached the post-season in only their third season of existence, while moving to the purpose-built Coors Field. He later was part of the Committee that chose Bud Selig to become baseball's Commissioner in 1998, after Selig had occupied the position on an interim basis since 1993.

In later years, McMorris was afflicted with pancreatic cancer. He died in Denver, CO on May 8, 2012, aged 71.

Related Sites

• Jerry McMorris at the SABR Bio Project
• Obituary from the Denver Post