Peter A. Macgowan, who was the CEO of Safeway from 1979 to 1993, at which point he started a 15-year tenure as Managing General Partner for the San Francisco Giants, has passed away at age 76 after a long battle with cancer.
Macgowan, who is described in the various obituaries as “charismatic,” “having a heart of gold,” and being intimately involved and dedicated to the well-being of the city where he made his home, also is credited with both preventing a proposed move by the Giants to Florida by organizing a group to buy the team, and will spearheading the replacement of Candlestick Park with what was then called Pac-Bell Park. (It is now called Oracle Park.)
The San Francisco Chronicle notes that Macgowan’s tenure with the Giants was not without controversy - he was criticized for being one of the owners who did not pay enough attention to the use of performance enhancing drugs by players, and he “later expressed regret for not doing more.” (Macgowan also is the guy who brought Barry Bonds to San Francisco.)
Macgowan, who is described in the various obituaries as “charismatic,” “having a heart of gold,” and being intimately involved and dedicated to the well-being of the city where he made his home, also is credited with both preventing a proposed move by the Giants to Florida by organizing a group to buy the team, and will spearheading the replacement of Candlestick Park with what was then called Pac-Bell Park. (It is now called Oracle Park.)
The San Francisco Chronicle notes that Macgowan’s tenure with the Giants was not without controversy - he was criticized for being one of the owners who did not pay enough attention to the use of performance enhancing drugs by players, and he “later expressed regret for not doing more.” (Macgowan also is the guy who brought Barry Bonds to San Francisco.)
- KC's View:
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One of the best things about Macgowan, I think, was how he liked to sit in the stands and interact with fans rather than sit above it all in luxury suites.
And you can’t argue with the results of all his efforts - as the Chronicle notes, “He hired the executives who built four World Series teams that garnered three championships, in 2010, ’12 and ’14, and led the franchise and its owners to significant financial success.”
