Nolan Ryan

Nolan Ryan is a retired Major League pitcher who played for four teams the New York Mets, Houston Astros, California Angels, and Texas Rangers during his record 27-season career in the majors. Ryan currently serves as team president of the Texas Rangers.http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs/2010/columns/story?columnist=caple_jim&id=5637335

In 2010, the Rangers were embroiled in financial problems after former owner Tom Hicks filed for bankruptcy. A group led by Ryan bought the Rangers and brought them out of of these issues by injecting the team with a new influx of money. Ryan became majority owner and the Rangers went on to win the AL West.http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/08/05/sportsline/main6744771.shtml

Ryan began pitching for the Mets in 1966 and was part of the 1969 team that won the World Series, although his role was limited. In his first two full seasons as a starting pitcher, in 1970 and 1971, Ryan had a losing record both times and struggled with his control. In 1972, Ryan was traded to the California Angels and it was with the Angels that he turned into the dominant pitcher he became. In 1972, he was named to his first of nine all-star teams and led the American League in strikeouts and shutouts. Ryan would go on to lead his league in strikeouts eleven more times after 1972 and in 1973 he pitched the first two of his six career no-hitters. That same year, Ryan broke the single-season strikeout record formerly held by Sandy Koufax by striking out 383 hitters.http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/ryanno01.shtml

In 1980, Ryan became the first baseball player to be paid more than $1 million when he signed with the Houston Astros as a free agent. In 1989, Ryan joined the Rangers, breaking the career no-hitters mark, also held by Sandy Koufax, with his sixth no-hitter in 1990.http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/ryanno01.shtml That same year, Ryan won his 300th game. In 1993, Ryan tore a ligament in his pitching arm and was forced to retire after 27 seasons in the majors. In 1999, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 2008, Ryan was named team president of the Rangers.

In 2010, Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks filed for bankruptcy, leaving the team without an owner. The team was put up for public auction to find a new owner. The two final bidders was a group led by Ryan and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. Ryan's group ended up winning the bidding, buying the team for $590 million. The league's owners unanimously approved the purchase on August 4, 2010.http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/08/05/sportsline/main6744771.shtml