Roy Hofheinz
From BR Bullpen
Roy Mark Hofheinz
- Born April 20, 1912 in Beaumont, TX
- Died November 22, 1982 in Houston, TX
Judge Hofheinz was an elected judge in Harris County, Texas and later mayor of Houston. In 1960, he was the leader of a group that won an expansion team for the city. Hofheinz used his pull with government to gain funding for the Houston Astrodome. It was Hofheinz who introduced baseball to artificial turf and luxury boxes.
After a stroke in 1970, Hofheinz loosened his control on the Astros. He sold the club to a group led by John McMullen in 1976. He died of a heart attack in 1982.
In 1999, The Sporting News named Hofheinz the 26th most powerful person in sports in the 20th century. The Hofheinz Arena in Houston is also named in his honor.
