Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Corporation for Public Broadcasting to Close After Funding Cut, in Blow to Local Media

8 hours ago

‘Freedom Week’: California Gun Owners Rush to Buy Ammo After Court Ruling

11 hours ago

Wall Street Selloff Sparked by Trump Tariffs, Amazon Results, Weak Payrolls

12 hours ago

US Construction Spending Extends Decline in June

12 hours ago

Global Shares in Red After US Jobs Data, Trump’s Tariff Salvo

12 hours ago

Construction of $200M Trump Ballroom at the White House to Begin in September

1 day ago

US Senate Committee Backs $1 Billion for Ukraine in Pentagon Spending Bill

1 day ago

Trump Says Mexico Trade Deal Extended for 90 Days

1 day ago

Fresno Unified Trustee Susan Wittrup Responds to $162,000 Payout

2 days ago
RIP, Peter Magowan, 76. He Resurrected SF Giants.
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 7 years ago on
January 28, 2019

Share

SAN FRANCISCO — Peter Magowan, the lifelong Giants fan who formed the ownership group that kept the team in San Francisco with a sparkling waterfront ballpark, died Sunday after a battle with cancer. He was 76.

“With groundbreaking vision, he then guided the effort that resulted in a ballpark that became a landmark for the city. In his 16 seasons of leadership, Peter oversaw a winning, civic-minded ballclub that represented the spirit of San Francisco.” — commissioner Rob Manfred
Magowan was a fan ever since going to games at the Polo Grounds in New York and then played a critical role in the team’s success over the last quarter-century.
“During a tenuous period for the franchise, Peter stepped up and led the group that purchased the Giants and kept them in San Francisco,” commissioner Rob Manfred said. “With groundbreaking vision, he then guided the effort that resulted in a ballpark that became a landmark for the city. In his 16 seasons of leadership, Peter oversaw a winning, civic-minded ballclub that represented the spirit of San Francisco. The foundation created under his direction helped make the Giants the model club they remain today.”
Magowan helped form the ownership group that bought the franchise for $100 million from Bob Lurie in December 1992 to keep the team from moving to Tampa Bay. One of his first moves was signing Barry Bonds to a six-year, $43.5 million free agent deal even before he formally completed the purchase of the team.
With the game’s greatest slugger in place, the Giants went on to have great success and Magowan put together a plan to build a privately funded ballpark on the water in downtown San Francisco. That park, the first in years built without direct public funding, opened in 2000 and became one of the jewels of the game.

Magowan Did Significant Work in the Community

Magowan stepped down following the 2008 season but had put in place the management team that helped bring San Francisco its first World Series title in 2010, followed by championships in 2012 and ’14.

“I’m extremely saddened by the passing of Peter Magowan. I will never forget our first call about the possibility of me coming home to play. He saved baseball for San Francisco and will be greatly missed.” — Barry Bonds
“Peter’s mark on the Giants and the San Francisco community can be felt throughout the ballpark, in which he was intimately involved in the design and planning and throughout the daily operations of the organization,” Giants president and CEO Larry Baer said. “He set forth a Giants vision to create a winning culture and to serve our fans and the community. Over the past 25 years, we have followed through on his vision and his impact on our community will be felt for decades to come.”
Magowan moved to California in 1958, the same year the Giants relocated from New York to San Francisco. He had a successful business, working 37 years for Safeway Inc., including serving as chairman and CEO from 1980-93 before stepping down after taking over the Giants.
The Giants made the playoffs four times in Magowan’s 16-year tenure running the Giants, including a trip to the World Series in 2002 before losing in seven games to the Angels.
Bonds also went on to set the single-season and career homer records during his tenure with the Giants, hitting 73 homers in 2001 and 762 in his career.
“I’m extremely saddened by the passing of Peter Magowan,” Bonds said in a tweet. “I will never forget our first call about the possibility of me coming home to play. He saved baseball for San Francisco and will be greatly missed.”
Magowan did significant work in the community, making the Giants the first professional sports team to dedicate an annual game to the fight against AIDS/HIV with the creation of “Until There’s A Cure Day” in 1994. He also formed the Junior Giants program that provided free leagues for kids to play and learn baseball.

Magowan Will Be Added to the Wall of Fame on Feb. 9

Magowan also revered the rich history of the franchise he started following as a child, signing Hall of Famer Willie Mays to a lifetime contract and bringing back Hall of Famers Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda to the organization to serve as special advisers. In 2008, he established the Giants Wall of Fame, which serves as a tribute to the organization’s greatest players of the San Francisco era.
Magowan will be added to the Wall of Fame on Feb. 9.
“Peter Magowan has been a part of my life for a long, long time, first as a fan watching me play in New York and then, remaining a fan when we moved to San Francisco,” Mays said. “Along the way, he became my friend. Peter would call me often to check in. He and Debby cared about me and it was so easy to care about them in return. It’s hard to find the right words just now, but in losing Peter, I’ve lost a great, great friend. He was like my godfather. No one can replace him.”
He is survived by wife Debby, five children and 12 grandchildren.
“Our family lost a great man today,” the family said in a statement. “We all know how much Peter loved his Giants and San Francisco, and he had that same love and passion for his family. He was so proud of his children and grandchildren, and we will forever cherish the memories we made together.”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

US Judges Speak Out About Death Threats, ‘Swattings,’ and ‘Pizza Doxings’

DON'T MISS

It’s Raining Cash for Some 2026 Fresno City Council Hopefuls

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Finds E. Coli at Avocado Lake. Don’t Swim There

DON'T MISS

Trump Fires US Labor Department’s Statistical Leader After Weaker Than Expected Jobs Report

DON'T MISS

Corporation for Public Broadcasting to Close After Funding Cut, in Blow to Local Media

DON'T MISS

Trump Eyes Bringing Azerbaijan, Central Asian Nations Into Abraham Accords, Sources Say

DON'T MISS

Farmers in West Fresno County to Consider 200% Groundwater Pumping Fee Hike

DON'T MISS

Trump Orders Nuclear Submarines Moved Near Russia

DON'T MISS

Fresno Councilmember Vang Accused of Conflict of Interest in Budget Vote

DON'T MISS

Ghislaine Maxwell Moved From Florida Prison to Lower-Security Facility

UP NEXT

More Than 100 NFL Players and Club Employees Face Fines for Selling Super Bowl Tickets

UP NEXT

Venezuelan Little League Team Denied Entry to US Over Travel Ban

UP NEXT

A First Look at Fresno State’s Quarterback Battle

UP NEXT

The Entz Era Begins at Fresno State With QB Job Up for Grabs

UP NEXT

US Olympic Officials Bar Transgender Women From Women’s Competitions

UP NEXT

Trump Threatens Washington Stadium Deal Unless NFL Team Readopts Redskins Name

UP NEXT

Age Is Just a Number: 80-Year-Old Conquers Death Valley to Mt. Whitney Ultramarathon

UP NEXT

Wonderful Co. Has a New Face Promoting Pistachios: MVP Josh Allen

UP NEXT

Uber Named Official Rideshare, Delivery Partner for Los Angeles Games

UP NEXT

Trump to Attend Club World Cup Final, FIFA Opens Office in Trump Tower

Trump Fires US Labor Department’s Statistical Leader After Weaker Than Expected Jobs Report

7 hours ago

Corporation for Public Broadcasting to Close After Funding Cut, in Blow to Local Media

8 hours ago

Trump Eyes Bringing Azerbaijan, Central Asian Nations Into Abraham Accords, Sources Say

8 hours ago

Farmers in West Fresno County to Consider 200% Groundwater Pumping Fee Hike

9 hours ago

Trump Orders Nuclear Submarines Moved Near Russia

9 hours ago

Fresno Councilmember Vang Accused of Conflict of Interest in Budget Vote

10 hours ago

Ghislaine Maxwell Moved From Florida Prison to Lower-Security Facility

10 hours ago

Trump Escalates Trade War With Canada Following Palestine Stance

10 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Scott Oscar Whitehead

11 hours ago

‘Freedom Week’: California Gun Owners Rush to Buy Ammo After Court Ruling

11 hours ago

US Judges Speak Out About Death Threats, ‘Swattings,’ and ‘Pizza Doxings’

United States judges spoke out against the unprecedented surge in violence and disturbing threats made against members of the judicial branc...

5 hours ago

United States judges speaking about receiving violent threats over rulings
5 hours ago

US Judges Speak Out About Death Threats, ‘Swattings,’ and ‘Pizza Doxings’

Fresno city hall with council campaign finance money
6 hours ago

It’s Raining Cash for Some 2026 Fresno City Council Hopefuls

E. coli identified at avocado lake
7 hours ago

Fresno County Finds E. Coli at Avocado Lake. Don’t Swim There

President Donald Trump speaks at a dinner with Republican Senators, in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 18, 2025. (Reuters File)
7 hours ago

Trump Fires US Labor Department’s Statistical Leader After Weaker Than Expected Jobs Report

Breaking News from Reuters
8 hours ago

Corporation for Public Broadcasting to Close After Funding Cut, in Blow to Local Media

President Donald Trump delivers remarks in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 31, 2025. (Reuters File)
8 hours ago

Trump Eyes Bringing Azerbaijan, Central Asian Nations Into Abraham Accords, Sources Say

9 hours ago

Farmers in West Fresno County to Consider 200% Groundwater Pumping Fee Hike

President Donald Trump speaks after disembarking Marine One, as he departs for Scotland, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., July 25, 2025. (Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein)
9 hours ago

Trump Orders Nuclear Submarines Moved Near Russia

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend