Tom Kayser, president of the Class AA Texas League, announced he is retiring before the start of the 2017 season, giving him 25 seasons as head of the circuit.
“I have had a wonderful run, working with an amazing group of owners and operators, but after considerable thought, have decided that after this coming season, it will be time for me to step aside,” Keyser said via a statement issued at the Winter Meetings.
His was a successful tenure, to be sure: attendance across the league rose from 1.7 million to 2.8 million, with eight new ballparks coming online (seven since 2002).
“One of the great strengths of the Texas League has been our operators’ spirit of cooperation and their willingness to embrace change and innovation,” Kayser said. “I am proud to have been involved in the Texas League during what will certainly be viewed as the second Golden Age in the long history of the league. I want to sincerely thank the directors of the Texas League for allowing me to be a part of these successes for as long as they have.”
Kayser was hired in 1992 after the death of his predecessor, Carl Sawatski, in 1992. His presidency is already the longest in Texas League history, surpassing J. Alvin Gardner’s 21 season.