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Drayton McLane Jr. (born July 22, 1936) is an American
billionaire A billionaire is a person with a net worth of at least 1,000,000,000, one billion units of a given currency, usually of a major currency such as the United States dollar, euro, or pound sterling. It is a sub-category of the concept of the ultr ...
businessman. He is chairman of the McLane Group, a holding company with a portfolio of various diverse enterprises. He was, until 1990, the CEO of the
McLane Company McLane Company, Inc. is an American wholesaling, wholesale supply chain services company that distributes products to Convenience store, convenience stores, discount retailers, Warehouse club, wholesale clubs, drug stores, Military base, military ...
, a grocery and food service warehouse, supply, and logistics firm, and was, from 1993 until 2011, the chairman and CEO of
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
's
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
. As of October 2021, his net worth was estimated at US$2.9 billion.


Personal history

He was born on July 22, 1936, in Cameron, Texas. His father, Drayton McLane Sr., owned a wholesale grocery distribution center that had been established by his grandfather, Robert McLane, in 1894. His grandfather came from
Abbeville, South Carolina Abbeville is a city and county seat of Abbeville County, in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is located west of Columbia and south of Greenville. Its population was 5,237 at the 2010 census. Settled by French Huguenot settlers, it was n ...
, to Cameron, Texas, in the late 1800s and worked as a farm laborer until about 1885, when he was able to buy and build a small retail grocery, and in 1894 went into the wholesale grocery business in a small way. At age nine, Drayton went to work for his father's business. McLane spent most Saturdays and summers during his teenage years sweeping floors and learning various aspects of the wholesale grocery business. He graduated from C. H. Yoe High School in Cameron in 1954. He earned his undergraduate degree at
Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...
in 1958 and his
master of business administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...
degree in marketing at
Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...
in 1959. After graduation, McLane returned home to work for his father. For the first 18 months, he worked the second (night) shift loading trucks. Three years later, he moved into management as vice president of purchasing. He then served 14 years as general manager of operations. He became president and CEO of
McLane Company McLane Company, Inc. is an American wholesaling, wholesale supply chain services company that distributes products to Convenience store, convenience stores, discount retailers, Warehouse club, wholesale clubs, drug stores, Military base, military ...
in 1978 and chairman in 1992. During his years with the company, McLane assisted his father in building an effective grocery distribution network that served convenience stores, supermarkets, and the fast-food industry nationwide. He used computer-based technology to enhance the distribution system. He was largely responsible for expanding the family business from a $3 million-a-year operation into a $19 billion enterprise. As president and CEO of McLane Company from 1965 to 1994, he added 16 distribution facilities across the US. During that time, the company experienced an average yearly sales growth of 30 percent. During those years, McLane served as president of the Texas Wholesale Grocers Association (1970–1971) and chairman of the National American Wholesale Grocers Association (1986–1988). He sold the family business to tennis partner
Sam Walton Samuel Moore Walton (March 29, 1918 – April 5, 1992) was an American business magnate best known for Co-founding the retailers Walmart and Sam's Club, which he started in Rogers, Arkansas, and Midwest City, Oklahoma, in 1962 and 1983 res ...
for cash and
Wal-Mart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...
shares in 1990. He invested much of the profits in professional baseball's
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
. He continued as chairman of McLane Co. and was named vice chairman of Wal-Mart Corporation. In 1993, he resigned from both of these positions to devote his full-time as chairman of McLane Group, which is a
holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the Security (finance), securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own Share ...
founded in 1992.


Baseball ownership

On July 24, 1992, it was announced that McLane had come to an agreement with John McMullen to purchase the team, which also included the lease on the
Astrodome The NRG Astrodome, formerly and also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, was the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas, United States. It seated around 50,000 fans, with a record atte ...
for a total of $117 million; approval by the league owners followed in the fall. In his first season as owner in
1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
, the Astros went 85–77, with the free-agent acquisitions of
Doug Drabek Douglas Dean Drabek (born July 25, 1962) is a retired American professional baseball pitcher, and a current minor league baseball coach. He is the pitching coach for the Reno Aces, the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major Le ...
and Greg Swindell (each signed to four-year deals) making minimal contributions. After the season, he fired Bill Wood and
Art Howe Arthur Henry Howe Jr. (born December 15, 1946) is an American former professional baseball infielder, coach, scout, and manager, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates (–), Houston Astros (–), and St. Louis Ca ...
on October 5 and replaced them with
Bob Watson Robert José Watson (April 10, 1946May 14, 2020) was an American professional baseball player, Coach (baseball), coach and General manager (baseball), general manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman and left fielder from ...
(promoted from assistant GM) and
Terry Collins Terry Lee Collins (born May 27, 1949) is an American former professional baseball manager. He managed the Houston Astros, the Anaheim Angels and New York Mets in Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball ...
; Watson was the second African American general manager in
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(first since Bill Lucas in the 1970s), and he served at the position until 1995, when he left to be the GM of the
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
. McLane and Tal Smith searched for a GM and came up with Gerry Hunsicker, hired in November 1995. The Astros had to rely on creativity to cultivate a club worthy of contention, as their minor-league system provided virtually nothing from 1986 to 1996, and McLane claimed to have lost $65 million by 1995 to the point where he implored the business community and fans to increase the season ticket base by at least 12,000 in the guise of being able to remain competitive, and rumors surfaced about the team possibly moving to Northern
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
. McLane, who had balked at the idea of building a new stadium by the County that wanted over $200 million contributed by the Astros, had approached Bill Collins about a backup plan to sell the team to him for $150 million if the Harris County stadium referendum failed, which McLane apparently felt was going to not pass. However, the referendum passed by 16,000 votes, which eventually led to the construction of
Daikin Park Daikin Park (originally Enron Field and formerly Astros Field and Minute Maid Park) is a retractable roof stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. It opened in 2000 and is the home ballpark of the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). ...
. The 1995 team had a payroll of $32 million and finished one game off making the National League Wild Card. A swoon late in the 1996 season had McLane see enough of Collins as manager, replacing him with broadcaster
Larry Dierker Lawrence Edward Dierker (born September 22, 1946) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher, manager, and broadcaster. During a 14-year baseball career as a pitcher, he pitched from 1964 to 1977 for the Houston Colt .45s/Astro ...
. The 1997 team, built on a payroll of $33 million that ranked 19th in the majors, finally broke through. The team went 84–78 and won the
National League Central The National League Central is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created in 1994, by moving two teams from the National League West (the Cincinnati Reds and the Houston Astros) and three teams from the National Le ...
division title, their first title since 1986. Dierker would lead the Astros to the postseason three more times over the next four seasons before Dierker was essentially pushed out by McLane and Hunsicker. The 2003 offseason brought the arrival of
Roger Clemens William Roger Clemens (born August 4, 1962), nicknamed "Rocket", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), most notably with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees and also played ...
and
Andy Pettitte Andrew Eugene Pettitte (; born June 15, 1972) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the New York Yankees. He also pitched for the Houston Astros. Pettitte won fiv ...
, each of whom played for three seasons, while longtime reliever
Billy Wagner William Edward Wagner (born July 25, 1971), nicknamed "Billy the Kid", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Boston ...
was traded to the
Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...
reportedly due to his harsh comments about McLane. A disappointing .500 record at the All-Star break, combined with jeers of manager
Jimy Williams James Francis Williams (October 4, 1943 – January 26, 2024) was an American professional baseball infielder, Coach (baseball), coach and Manager (baseball), manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1966 ...
when announced as a coach of the 2004 All-Star Game held in Houston, led to him being fired one day later for
Phil Garner Philip Mason Garner (born April 30, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an infielder with the Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodge ...
. A midseason trade for Carlos Beltran helped the team arise from the muck, as the team won 36 of their last 46 games to reach the Wild Card. The team won their first postseason series in the
2004 National League Division Series The 2004 National League Division Series (NLDS), the opening round of the 2004 National League playoffs, began on Tuesday, October 5, and ended on Monday, October 11, with the champions of the three NL divisions—along with a "wild card" team— ...
and fell one game short of the World Series. At the end of the season, longtime general manager Hunsicker resigned. Reportedly, he resigned due to being tired of McLane's influences on team management, where at one point McLane was believed to be jealous of Hunsicker getting credit for the success of the team, and Hunsicker even interviewed for the
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
job in 2003. Tim Purpura was named the new general manager for 2005. In the nine years with Hunsicker as GM, the Astros won 54% of their games. Until 2017, the
2005 Houston Astros season The 2005 Houston Astros season was the 44th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located in Houston, Texas, their 41st as the Astros, 44th in the National League (NL), 12th in the NL Central division, and sixth at Minute Maid Pa ...
was the most successful season on the field for the Houston franchise. The team won the National League pennant to advance to the World Series, and Houston hosted the first World Series game ever played in Texas. However, the Astros, who had rallied from a losing record earlier in the season, were swept by the
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
in four games, granting the White Sox their first championship in 88 years. It was the last postseason run for the Astros, who fell into a decade-long drought that saw just two winning seasons from 2006 to 2014, owing to an aging team that lacked a suitable farm system, as done due to McLane and others pushing for goals of a
World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
with a favor for free agents that left the team cratering after 2008. McLane was approached after the end of the 2008 season about selling the team, and he nearly sold to
Jim Crane James Robert Crane (born January 17, 1954) is an American businessman from Houston, Texas. Crane is chairman and chief executive of Crane Capital Group, Crane Worldwide Logistics, and Crane Freight and Shipping. He is also the owner and chairman ...
. However, Crane backed out at the last minute before a handshake deal could be done. Crane made bids to buy a team in both 2009 (for the
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
) and 2010 (for the Texas Rangers), but neither effort succeeded, with the latter bid reportedly being rejected due to the influence of McLane despite reportedly being a better deal than the accepted one. McLane announced on November 21, 2010, that the Astros franchise was for sale again. A recent regional television deal with Comcast SportsNet Houston was stated by McLane as putting the Astros on a similar footing as other National League teams, and McLane believed it would help with the income side of this transaction. McLane said the sale was for "family" reasons, and he was joined in the announcement by his two adult sons, Drayton III and Denton. The Astros finished the 2011 season with 106 losses under McLane in his final season as owner, the first occasion the team had lost 100 games in franchise history. The team was sold on November 17, 2011, for $680 million. Two years after the sale, McLane was sued by the purchaser,
Jim Crane James Robert Crane (born January 17, 1954) is an American businessman from Houston, Texas. Crane is chairman and chief executive of Crane Capital Group, Crane Worldwide Logistics, and Crane Freight and Shipping. He is also the owner and chairman ...
, for breach of contract, fraud, negligent misrepresentation or omission, and civil conspiracy, stemming from claims that McLane misrepresented the value of the team's TV broadcast rights. McLane countersued, accusing the Astros of deliberately tanking in 2012 and 2013 (where they lost 218 combined games) to sink the network. In 2021, attempts by McLane within Comcast (long since defunct) to dismiss the lawsuit were denied. In 2023, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that Crane can go forward with his lawsuit, which had previously been ruled favorably for Crane by a Houston district court in 2019 and the 14th Court of Appeals in 2021. In nineteen seasons as owner, the Astros had a winning record in fourteen of them while reaching the postseason six times and overseeing the team move into a new stadium with
Daikin Park Daikin Park (originally Enron Field and formerly Astros Field and Minute Maid Park) is a retractable roof stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. It opened in 2000 and is the home ballpark of the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). ...
in 2000. Under his management, McLane hired four general managers (the longest being Gerry Hunsicker) and six managers, with McLane being described as having a special interest in running the team like a business under close watch. This worked to both success and detriment with a variety of free agent pushes with moderate payroll that saw players such as
Darryl Kile Darryl Andrew Kile (December 2, 1968 – June 22, 2002) was an American professional baseball starting pitcher. He pitched from 1991 to 2002 for three Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, primarily for the Houston Astros. Kile was known for his sha ...
,
Randy Johnson Randall David Johnson (born September 10, 1963), nicknamed, "the Big Unit," is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (1988–2009) for six teams, primarily the Seattle Mariners and Arizo ...
, Beltran, and
Mike Hampton Michael William Hampton, Jr. (born September 9, 1972) is an American former professional baseball player. Hampton played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a pitcher from 1993 through 2010. He pitched for the Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros, New ...
leave for more money while paying for veterans such as
Roger Clemens William Roger Clemens (born August 4, 1962), nicknamed "Rocket", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), most notably with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees and also played ...
,
Andy Pettitte Andrew Eugene Pettitte (; born June 15, 1972) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the New York Yankees. He also pitched for the Houston Astros. Pettitte won fiv ...
, and Carlos Lee and Woody Williams. McLane made moves without consulting his general managers at times, such as when
Ken Caminiti Kenneth Gene Caminiti (April 21, 1963 – October 10, 2004) was an American professional baseball third baseman who spent 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Houston Astros (1987–1994, 1999–2000), San Diego Padres (1995–1 ...
wanted to return to Houston in 2000 or when he exercised
Craig Biggio Craig Alan Biggio (; born December 14, 1965) is an American former baseball second baseman, outfielder, and catcher who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Houston Astros, from 1988 to 2007. A seven-time National League (baseball), ...
's contract in 2005. Norm Miller, a player-turned-front office man, recounted how McLane approached him about signing a document about pledging to perform with the highest of Christian principles (Miller left a year later). In nineteen seasons as owner, the team won 1,556 games while losing 1,456. He left as the longest serving owner of the Astros.


McLane Group

McLane devotes his time to McLane Group, the family holding company for these corporations: *Sports in Action *''
Dave Campbell's Texas Football ''Dave Campbell's Texas Football'' is a biannual magazine previewing American football teams in the state of Texas. It previews football teams in Texas at all levels, from the NFL's Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans, college football, to the ...
'' *McLane Intelligent Solutions *McLane Technology Partners *McLane Global *McLane Classic Foods *McLane Ranch, L.P. *RDM Commerce, Inc. Former McLane Group entities: *McLane Polska *McLane Portugal *McLane Cattle, LLC *Leading Edge Flavors *McLane International *McLane Advanced Technologies


Volunteer activities

McLane and his wife, Elizabeth, have two adult sons, Drayton III, and Denton. They were active members of First Baptist Church of Temple, where Drayton taught Sunday School and served as an active deacon. Currently, they are active members of First Baptist Belton. By the spring of 2009, the McLane family had brought "new life" to Michigan State University's baseball facility through a $4 million commitment to enhance one of the most pristine environments in all of intercollegiate athletics. On September 12, 2008, MSU's board of trustees voted unanimously to approve the naming of Drayton McLane Baseball Stadium at John H. Kobs Field. McLane puts aside a large amount of time to serve on civic and charitable committees. Drayton Jr. currently serves as: chairman of Texas Central Partners High Speed Rail; vice president at large, Boy Scouts of America National Board; member of the board of trustees of Baylor Scott and White Healthcare; member of the national board of governors for Cooper Institute of Aerobics Research; board director of the
Bush School of Government and Public Service The Bush School of Government & Public Service is an academic college of Texas A&M University founded in 1997 under former President of the United States, President George H. W. Bush's philosophy that "public service is a noble calling." Since t ...
at Texas A&M University; member of the board of trustees, Baylor College of Medicine; board of visitors, the University Cancer Foundation MD Anderson; board director, Happy State Bank, member of United Way of Central Texas. His past civic duties include: chairman of the board of trustees of Baylor Scott and White Healthcare; chairman of Scott and White Healthcare's board of trustees; VP of the executive board of Boy Scouts of America; chairman of United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast's Pacesetter Campaign; member—Children's Miracle Network's national board of governors; chairman of the board—Children's Miracle Network; member—Texas State Board of Mental Health and Mental Retardation; chairman of the board of trustees—
Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...
; chairman of the board of regents of
Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...
; member of the Greater Houston Partnership; chairman of Temple (Texas) Chamber of Commerce; and trustee—South Texas College of Law. In the religious community of Temple, Texas, he has served as the chairman of the deacon board of First Baptist Church. He is a major benefactor of both Baylor University, where the McLane Student Life Center, the acclaimed McLane
carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a musical keyboard, keyboard and consists of at least 23 bells. The bells are Bellfounding, cast in Bell metal, bronze, hung in fixed suspension, and Musical tuning, tu ...
s, and
McLane Stadium McLane Stadium is an American football stadium in Waco, Texas owned and operated by Baylor University. Originally named "Baylor Stadium", the facility's name was changed to "McLane Stadium" in December 2013 to honor Baylor alumnus and business m ...
are named in his honor, and the
University of Mary Hardin-Baylor A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...
( UMHB) in Belton, Texas, where McLane Hall honors him. He sponsors the McLane Lectures at UMHB, bringing to campus such notables as former President
George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
, Honorable
Sean O'Keefe Sean Charles O'Keefe (born January 27, 1956) is a university professor at Syracuse University Maxwell School, former chairman of Airbus Group, Inc., former Secretary of the Navy, former Administrator of NASA, and former chancellor of Louisiana ...
(former NASA administrator and current chancellor of Louisiana State University), and
Barbara Bush Barbara Bush (; June 8, 1925 – April 17, 2018) was the first lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993, as the wife of the 41st president of the United States, George H. W. Bush. She was previously second lady of the United States fr ...
, the former first lady of the US. In 2005, Scott and White Memorial Hospital in Temple honored Drayton and his wife by creating the Elizabeth and Drayton McLane Jr. Chair in Health and Wellness, a new endowed chair that is a joint appointment between the hospital and the Texas A&M University Health Science Center College of Medicine. In April 2020, Governor
Greg Abbott Gregory Wayne Abbott ( ; born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and jurist who has served since 2015 as the 48th governor of Texas. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served from 2002 to ...
named McLane to the Strike Force to Open Texas – a group "tasked with finding safe and effective ways to slowly reopen the state" amid the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.


Political activity

McLane contributed $61,200 to
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
's 2020 presidential campaign.


McLane Stadium

Baylor University announced in December 2013 that it would name its new football stadium McLane Stadium after "one of the most distinguished and generous alumni families in Baylor University history."


Honors and awards

*1997 Golden Plate Award:
American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a nonprofit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest-achieving people in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet one ano ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McLane, Drayton Jr. 1936 births Living people Major League Baseball owners Houston Astros owners Michigan State University alumni Baylor University alumni National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America members People from Temple, Texas People from Cameron, Texas American billionaires