Bob Short

Robert Earl Short

• School College of St. Thomas

• Born July 20, 1917 in Minneapolis, MN
• Died November 20, 1982 in Minneapolis, MN

Biographical Information

Bob Short is between Richard Nixon (with baseball glove) and the man with "New York" on his uniform. Shown in 1969.

Bob Short bought the Washington Senators in 1968 (despite a bid from comedian Bob Hope) and hired Ted Williams as manager in 1969. After the 1971 season, claiming he was losing tons of money, he moved the team from Washington, DC to Arlington, TX, where they became the Texas Rangers and upset many fans in the process. After the move, he sold them in short order to Brad Corbett, making a nifty profit.

He was sought out by Bob Lurie when he sought a partner to purchase the San Francisco Giants in 1976, to prevent them from leaving the Bay Area. However, other National League owners objected, given Short's checkered past, and Lurie turned instead to Arizona meatpacker Bud Herseth as an investment partner.

Short also owned the NBA's Minneapolis Lakers and was responsible for moving the club to Los Angeles. Additionally, he was involved with the Democratic Party in Minnesota and a candidate for the Senate in 1978.

Preceded by George Selkirk

Washington Senators General Manager 1969-1971

Succeeded by Joe Burke

Further Reading

• Bob Whelan and Steve West: "Bob Short", in Steve West and Bill Nowlin, eds.: The Team That Couldn't Hit: The 1972 Texas Rangers, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2019, pp. 264-269. ISBN 978-1-943816-93-4

Related Sites

• Bob Short at the SABR Bio Project