By Austin McNabb
Texas Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan announced his retirement Thursday.
Ryan, 66, said he will not be taking ownership of another Major League Baseball team nor will he continue in his baseball career.
The former Rangers Hall of Fame pitcher was brought in as president of the team by former owner Tom Hicks, and was given the title of CEO in March 2011 by Simpson and Davis.
Ryan contemplated stepping down as owner in March after ownership restructured the front office and gave Rangers general manager Jon Daniels the position of director of baseball operations.
During Ryan’s tenure in the front office for the Rangers, his team made record accomplishments, making the World Series for the first time ever in back-to-back years, 2010 and 2011. Texas also made the post-season in 2012, but lost in the AL wild-card game. Texas did not reach the post-season in 2013.
Other accomplishments include record attendance in which Texas reached three million fans the past two years.
As a player, Ryan spent time with the New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, before retiring with the Texas Rangers at the age of 46.
Ryan is the only player in Major League Baseball history to reach 5,000 strikeouts and has a record seven no-hitters.
He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999 as the only person in the Texas Rangers organization to do so.
According to Davis, a new CEO has not yet been named for the team.
Ryan’s share of the club is now in the hands of co-club chairmen of the board Bob Simpson and Ray Davis.
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