- 1969
- 1974
- 1984
- 2004
- 2009
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San Diego Padres Team Formation
In 1969, the San Diego Padres joined the ranks of Major League Baseball as one of four new expansion teams, along with the Montreal Expos, now the Washington Nationals, the Kansas City Royals and the Seattle Pilots, now the Milwaukee Brewers. Their original owner was C. Arnholt Smith, a prominent San Diego businessman and former owner of the PCL Padres ... -
Ray Kroc Ownership
In 1974, Kroc decided to retire from being CEO of McDonald’s. While he was looking for new jobs, he decided to get back into baseball, his lifelong favorite sport, when he learned that the San Diego Padres were for sale. The team had been conditionally sold by founding owner C. Arnholt Smith to Washington grocery-chain owner Joseph Danzansky, who planned ... -
Joan Kroc Ownership
The 1984 season began with a shock: Ray Kroc died of heart disease on January 14. Ownership of the team passed to his third wife, Joan Kroc. The team would wear Ray’s initials, “RAK” on their jersey’s left sleeve during the entire season, as well as the 1985 and 1986 seasons. She tried to donate the team to the city ... -
PETCO Park Opens
PETCO Park is situated downtown near San Diego’s Gaslamp District, the main entrance located just two blocks from the downtown terminal of the San Diego Trolley light-rail system. With new amenities and a revitalization of the downtown neighborhood, fan interest renewed. Modeled after recent successes in the downtown ballpark building (such as San Francisco’s AT&T Park), and incorporating San Diego ... -
John Moores New Owner
Werner’s time as majority owner ended when John Moores acquired an 80% interest for $80 million on December 22, 1994. Werner retained a 10% share in the franchise until he sold it to Moores before the start of the 2007 season. In 2009, Moorad put together a group to buy the San Diego Padres from John Moores. Moorad and his ...
History of the Padres
The San Diego Padres are one of the oldest teams in Major League Baseball, having been founded as an expansion team in 1969. Since then, they have become a beloved part of the city's culture and history. The Padres have had their fair share of ups and downs over the years, but despite this, they remain one of America's favorite baseball franchises.
The Padres began their journey to success with two National League pennants in 1984 and 1998 under manager Dick Williams’ leadership. They also won four division titles during that period; three from 1996-1998 under Bruce Bochy’s guidance, followed by another division title victory in 2005 led by manager Bruce Bochy once again! In addition to these accomplishments on the field, many memorable players have donned a Padre uniform throughout its history, such as Hall Of Famers Trevor Hoffman and Tony Gwynn, who both played for San Diego for 15 seasons each!
Today, after more than 50 years since being established as an MLB franchise –the San Diego Padres continue to be competitive contenders year after year while still providing fans with exciting moments every season through thrilling walk-off wins or comebacks against all odds! With strong ownership backing them up and passionate fan support, we can expect nothing less than greatness from this historic ball club going forward into 2021 & beyond!
Established
1969
City
San Diego
League History
2000 – Present / Major League Baseball
1969 – 1999 / National League
Team History
1969 – Present / San Diego Padres
Nickname
Padres – As a sports fan, you’re probably familiar with the San Diego Padres – one of Major League Baseball's most beloved teams. But did you know that their nickname has an interesting origin story?
The team first used " Padres " in 1969 when they moved to San Diego from Houston, Texas. The owners wanted to pay homage to California’s rich Spanish heritage and chose a moniker representing this. In Spanish, "padres" translates into "fathers," which is fitting considering baseball is often referred to as America's pastime or national pastime - just like fathers have traditionally been seen as heads of households and protectors of families.
The team also adopted an image based on Franciscan Friars who were missionaries in California during the 1700s and 1800s; many Catholic missions were named after them throughout the state then too! This connection further solidifies why Padres was chosen for their name: it pays tribute to Spain. It acknowledges its history here in America, with religious figures like St Francis being part of it all!
In addition, there are several other reasons why “Padres” makes sense for this particular MLB franchise: It starts with P (for Padre), making it easier for fans when talking about them verbally or writing down scores/stats; plus, having similar sounding names helps distinguish between different teams (like how Angels & Dodgers both start with D). On top of all these factors combined, makeup what we now know today—the iconic identity associated with our beloved San Diego Padres organization!
Championship
World Series 0
Stadium
2004 – Present / Petco Park
1998 – 2003 / Qualcomm Stadium
1980 – 1997 / Jack Murphy Stadium
1969 – 1980 / San Diego Stadium
Owner
2020 - Present / Peter Seidler
1994 – 2019 / John Moores
1990 – 1994 / Tom Werner
1984 – 1990 / Joan Kroc
1974 – 1984 / Ray Kroc
1969 – 1974 / C. Arnholt Smith
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
Retired Number
6 / Steve Garvey
19 / Tony Gwynn
31 / Dave Winfield
35 / Randy Jones
51 / Trevor Hoffman
42 / Jackie Robinson
– / Jerry Coleman
– / Ray Kroc
*Blue is this team’s history