Keli McGregor

Keli Scott McGregor

• Height 6' 6", Weight 250 lb.
• School Colorado State University
• High School Lakewood (CO) High School

• Born January 23, 1963 in Primghar, IA USA
• Died April 20, 2010 in Salt Lake City, UT USA

Biographical Information

Keli McGregor was the President of the Colorado Rockies from 2001 until his sudden death in 2010.

McGregor was an All-American tight end after being a walk-on at Colorado State University and was selected in the 4th round of the 1985 National Football League draft (110th overall) by the Denver Broncos. He played 8 games in the NFL in 1985, with the Broncos and Indianapolis Colts. He then became an assistant football coach at the University of Florida in 1988 and 1989, where he completed a master's degree in sports administration, and was associate athletics director at the University of Arkansas.

He joined the organization of the expansion Rockies at the end of their inaugural season as Assistant Director of Operations in October 1993. At the time, he knew very little about baseball, but he made his way up in the organization, rising to become team President on October 18, 2001, when he succeeded Jerry McMorris. Shortly after his arrival at the helm, the team underwent a renaissance on the field, reaching the World Series in 2007 after a fabulous late-season winning streak, and returning to the post-season in 2009. He was working on securing a new spring training complex for the Rockies in Arizona, in partnership with the Arizona Diamondbacks, when he died suddenly on April 20, 2010. He was on a business trip in Salt Lake City, UT with team Chairman and CEO Charlie Monfort and executive Vice-President Greg Feasel when he was found dead in his hotel room, apparently from natural causes.

As a former athlete, McGregor was known to use the Rockies' weight room to keep in shape and could relate on a personal level with players. He had developed close friendships with a number of players, such as Todd Helton, with whom he went hunting in the off-season. A convinced Christian, he was married with three children. The Rockies organized an on-field ceremony in his honor before their game of April 24, 2010, with his family present, and hung a jersey with number 88, his old number in college, at Coors Field.

Related Sites

• Keli McGregor at the SABR Bio Project
• Keli McGregor on football-reference.com