Kevin Uhlich, who oversaw the 2009 Kauffman Stadium renovation, will retire from his role as Senior Vice President/Business Operations of the Kansas City Royals, effective October 30.
He is not leaving the Royals; he will continue with the team as Special Assistant to Chairman and CEO John Sherman.
Uhlich was key in three ballpark projects during his 44 seasons with Major League Baseball teams. He began his career with the Los Angeles Angels (not including a stint as bat boy for the then-California Angels in 1974), eventually landing roles that included Vice President of Stadium Operations and VP of Sales, Marketing and Operations before being named the club’s Senior Vice President of Business Operations in 2002, the same year the club won their only World Series title. With the Angels, he oversaw the $140-million renovation of Anaheim Stadium on behalf of Disney Sports Inc. after they had purchased the Halos. Upon completion of that renovation in 1988, Disney Sports tabbed Uhlich to oversee the entire Angels business side. It was during that time where he led the effort to overhaul the Angels’ brand identity to become Southern California’s only “red team,” a branding strategy that has become symbolic of the Angels.
He was named Executive Vice President for the Washington Nationals in 2005, as the club made the move from Montreal to begin play in the District of Columbia. Over just a 45-day span, he was tasked with assembling the entire club’s business operations department, while also supervising an $8-million renovation of RFK Stadium that had not seen a Major League Baseball game since 1971 when the Senators moved to Arlington, TX.
It was with the Nationals where he got his first taste of new ballpark design, overseeing the planning and construction of the $611 million Nationals Park that opened prior to the 2008 season, one season after Uhlich joined the Royals organization.
After coming to Kansas City on November 7, 2006, as the Senior VP of Business Operations, Uhlich led the charge for the $275 million Kauffman Stadium renovation completed in 2009, working in step with Populous on the fan-friendly makeover. He was also a key figure in the renovation of the Royals spring-training home in Surprise, AZ, that was completed just before the start of the 2016 spring session.