Jerry McMorris facts for kids

Jerry McMorris (born October 9, 1940 – died May 8, 2012) was a very important person in the world of baseball. He was the main owner of the Colorado Rockies, a professional baseball team in the National League, from 1992 to 2005.

Early Life and Business Beginnings

Jerry McMorris was born in Rock Island, Illinois. When he was younger, he worked for his father's trucking company. Later, he decided to start his own trucking business. He created a company called Westway Motor Freight, which eventually became known as NW Transport and then NationsWay Transport.

Becoming a Baseball Team Owner

On July 5, 1991, it was announced that Denver, Colorado, would get a new team in Major League Baseball. This was very exciting news! Jerry McMorris was part of the group that wanted to own this new team.

The original plan was for another person, Michael I. Monus, to be the main owner. However, Mr. Monus ran into some serious business problems. He had to give up his part in the Rockies team before they even played their first game.

This left the team needing about $20 million to pay their expansion fee, which was a total of $95 million. There were even talks about selling the team to another city, Tampa, Florida.

Jerry McMorris stepped up to help. He worked hard to raise the money needed to keep the team in Denver. He brought in other important people, like Charlie Monfort (whose family was in the meatpacking business) and Oren Benton, to join the ownership group. With their help, the money was raised!

The Colorado Rockies were then ready for their very first season. They had Bob Gebhard as their general manager and Don Baylor as their manager.

Leading the Colorado Rockies

From 1993 to 1999, the Colorado Rockies were incredibly popular. They had the highest number of fans attending their games in all of Major League Baseball. In their first year, 1993, an amazing 4,483,350 fans came to watch games at Mile High Stadium. This stadium was used by the team for their first two seasons, and that attendance record still stands today!

In 1995, the team moved into their new home, Coors Field. This was a special stadium because it was the first park built mainly for baseball in the National League since the 1960s. In its first season, Coors Field even hosted playoff games! It also hosted the 1998 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, where the best players from both leagues came to play.

As an owner, Jerry McMorris really wanted the team to win. However, the high elevation in Denver caused some challenges for baseball pitchers. The thin air made the ball travel farther, which meant more home runs and higher scores. To try and help with this, McMorris often tried to sign famous pitchers to large contracts. Some of these pitchers included Denny Neagle, Mike Hampton, and Darryl Kile.

Around 1999, Jerry McMorris faced some business difficulties with his trucking company. This led him to sell parts of the Rockies team to the Monfort brothers, Charlie and Dick. They eventually owned more than 40 percent of the team.

In 2001, McMorris stepped down from his role as team president, but he remained the chief executive officer. Later, in 2004, the Monforts made some changes, and McMorris was no longer the vice chairman. Finally, in 2005, Jerry McMorris sold his last part of the team to the Monforts.

During his time as owner, from 1993 to 2005, the Rockies had only four winning seasons and made it to the playoffs just once. They never won more than 83 games in any season while he was the owner.

In 2009, Jerry McMorris was honored for his contributions to sports when he was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.

Personal Life and Passing

Jerry McMorris married his wife, Mary, in 1962. Together, they had two sons, Michael Dean and Scott, and a daughter, Kelly. Sadly, Michael Dean passed away in 1996.

Beyond baseball, McMorris was also very involved in the Western Stock Show Association. He served as its chairman for six years and was on the executive committee for 18 years.

Jerry McMorris passed away on May 8, 2012, at the age of 71. He died from pancreatic cancer in a hospital in Aurora, Colorado.