Colorado Rockies Team History

Colorado Rockies began in 1991 when a Major League Baseball expansion franchise for Denver was granted to an ownership group headed by John Antonucci. In 1993 the Colorado Rockies started play in the western division of the National League. The Colorado Baseball Commission, led by banking executive Larry Varnell, was successful in getting Denver voters to approve a 0.1 percent sales tax to help finance a new baseball stadium. Also, an advisory committee was formed in 1990 by then-Governor of Colorado Roy Romer to recruit an ownership group. The group selected was led by John Antonucci, an Ohio beverage distributor, and Michael I. Monus, the head of the Phar-Mor drugstore chain. Local and regional companies such as Erie Lake, Hensel Phelps Construction, KOA Radio, and the Rocky Mountain News rounded out the group. On July 5, 1991, the National League approved Denver and south Florida as the sites for two expansion teams to begin play in 1993.

Coors Field is a baseball venue located in Denver, Colorado. It is the home field of Major League Baseball’s Colorado Rockies. It is named for the Coors Brewing Company of Golden, Colorado, which purchased the naming rights to the park prior to its completion in 1995. The Rockies played their first two seasons, 1993 and 1994, in Mile High Stadium before moving to Coors Field, two blocks from Union Station in Denver’s Lower Downtown (or LoDo) neighborhood. The park includes 63 luxury suites and 4,526 club seats.

Coors Field was originally planned to be somewhat smaller, seating only 43,800. However, after the Rockies drew almost 4.5 million people in their first season at Mile High Stadium – the most in baseball history – the plans were altered during construction, and new seats in the right field upper deck were added.

On September 2, 1992, Jerry McMorris welcomed Charlie Monfort and Oren Benton to join him in buying controlling interest in the Rockies. This came after founding owner Mickey Monus was ensnared in a massive accounting scandal surrounding his Phar-Mor discount drugstores. Dick Monfort later replaced Benton in the ownership group, and became vice chairman of the Rockies on December 8, 1997. On March 31, 2003, Charlie was named CEO of the Colorado Rockies, succeeding president Keli McGregor who had taken the role from McMorris in 2001. In 2005, Dick and Charlie Monfort purchased McMorris’ financial interest in the team, becoming the primary owners. Charlie remained as managing general partner, chairman and CEO until 2011, when he handed both roles to Dick.