Bradford G. Corbett
| Brad Corbett | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Bradford Gary Corbett October 15, 1937 The Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Died | December 24, 2012 (aged 75) Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |
| Known for | Owner of the Texas Rangers from 1974 to 1980 |
Bradford Gary Corbett (October 15, 1937 – December 24, 2012) was the owner of the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball's American League from 1974 to 1980. Corbett was born in the Bronx in 1937. After spending a semester at Siena College, he transferred to Wagner College where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 1960. He was later part owner of S&B Technical Products, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. Originally from Long Island, New York, Corbett made a fortune in the oil business by producing and selling plastic PVC piping. He had moved to Fort Worth, Texas in 1968 and within two years had become a millionaire at the age of 32 after first securing a $300,000 Small Business Administration loan. In 1974 he bought the Rangers from owner Bob Short. Serving as (in effect) his own general manager, he quickly set about spending a great deal of money on free agent players. This was during the advent of the free agency era and soon Corbett had signed such high-priced players as Bert Campaneris, Doyle Alexander, Doc Medich, Richie Zisk and Mike Jorgensen and traded for expensive talent like Bobby Bonds, Al Oliver and Jon Matlack.
Despite never making the postseason, Texas finished in second place three times under Corbett’s ownership. The ’77 club won 94 games, the most in team history until 1999. The Team's winning percentage under him was .521, better than the winning percentages under most owners.
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