Ron Fowler

Fowler was born to Loren W. and Leona (Mohs) Fowler on July 23, 1944, in Minneapolis, Minnesota,{{Cite news|date=August 4, 1944|title=HAVE A SON|work=The St. Cloud Times|type=Digital Archive|via=Newspapers.com}}Minnesota Department of Health; Saint Paul, Minnesota; Minnesota, Birth Index, 1935-2000 the oldest of two children.{{Cite news|date=June 22, 1987|title=Loren Fowler Obituary|work=The St. Cloud Times|type=Digital Archive|via=Newspapers.com}} Fowler's father served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, stationed in New Guinea.{{Cite news|date=October 27, 1944|title=Meet in New Guinea|work=The St. Cloud Times|type=Digital Archive.|access-date=|via=Newspapers.com}} Fowler was raised as Catholic,{{Cite news|last=Beath|first=Jack|date=July 23, 1959|title=Boy Musicians Prove They're Not 'Sissies'|work=The St. Cloud Times|type=Digital Archive|via=Newspapers.com}} attending St. Cloud Cathedral High School where he played baseball.{{Cn|date=July 2023}}

Fowler is the chairman and CEO of privately held Liquid Investments Inc., the parent company of former operating entities in California and Colorado. The investment group distributed Miller, Coors, Heineken, and other beer brands; and had annual sales exceeding $300 million.{{cite web|title=Fowler Business Challenge Competition|work=stthomas.edu|publisher=University of St. Thomas|url=http://www.stthomas.edu/business/schulzeschool/fowlerchallenge/RonFowlerbio.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120621105417/http://www.stthomas.edu/business/schulzeschool/fowlerchallenge/RonFowlerbio.html|archivedate=June 21, 2012|url-status=live}}

Fowler was a member of a minority group that owned 49.32 percent of the Padres.{{cite news|last=Canepa|first=Nick|title=Canepa: New owners don't tease with false promises|date=August 29, 2012|newspaper=U-T San Diego|url=http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/aug/29/new-owners-dont-tease-us-with-lots-of-false/?print&page=all|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150724162651/http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/aug/29/new-owners-dont-tease-us-with-lots-of-false/?print&page=all|archivedate=July 24, 2015|url-status=dead}} The group, headed by then-Padres chief executive Jeff Moorad, attempted to buy the Padres from controlling owner John Moores for $530 million, but the deal fell through in April 2012. Fowler then replaced Moorad as the general partner of the minority group, and he served on the Padres executive committee.{{cite news|last=Bloom|first=Barry M.|title=Moores to stay Padres' majority owner for now|date=April 6, 2012|work=MLB.com|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120406&content_id=27990276&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511064327/http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120406&content_id=27990276&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb|archivedate=May 11, 2012|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Center|first=Bill|title=MLB approves sale of Padres|date=August 16, 2012|newspaper=The San Diego Union-Tribune|url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2012/08/16/mlb-approves-sale-of-padres/|url-status=live|access-date=January 12, 2025}}

Fowler joined a new group to purchase the Padres that included four heirs to the O’Malley family—who owned the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise for five decades. Kevin and Brian O'Malley are the sons of former Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley and grandsons of Walter O'Malley, the owner who moved the Dodgers west from Brooklyn after the 1957 season. Peter and Tom Seidler are the nephews of Peter O’Malley. MLB approved the $800 million sale,{{cite news|title=Baseball approves sale of Padres|date=August 16, 2012|newspaper=The Miami Herald|agency=The Sports Network|url=http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/08/16/2954790/baseball-approves-sale-of-padres.html|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120817163513/http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/08/16/2954790/baseball-approves-sale-of-padres.html|archivedate=August 17, 2012|url-status=live}} which completed on August 28, 2012.{{cite news|last=Center|first=Bill|title=Padres sale complete|date=August 29, 2012|newspaper=The San Diego Union-Tribune|url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2012/08/29/padres-sale-complete/|url-status=live|access-date=January 12, 2025}} As much as $200 million of the sale price included the team's 20-percent stake in Fox Sports San Diego, a cable channel that pays the Padres annual fees as part of a $1.2 billion, 20-year agreement.{{cite news|last=Grover|first=Ronald|title=Beer distributor gets league OK to buy San Diego Padres|date=August 16, 2012|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|agency=Reuters|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2012/08/16/beer-distributor-gets-league-ok-to-buy-san-diego-padres/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121220232448/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-08-16/sports/sns-rt-us-baseball-padres-acquisitionbre87f1dp-20120816_1_beer-distributor-san-diego-padres-guggenheim-partners|archive-date=December 20, 2012|url-status=live}} Fowler was named the ownership group's executive chairman and was designated to represent the Padres in all league meetings. He became the first locally based control person of the team since founding owner C. Arnholt Smith. Under the Fowler/Seidler/O'Malley group, the Padres have signed 3 players to contracts that beat the previous franchise record contract, giving 6 years and $83 million to Wil Myers in January 2017, 8 years and $144 million to Eric Hosmer in February 2018, and 10 years and $300 million to Manny Machado in February 2019.{{Citation needed|date=April 2019}}

On November 18, 2020, MLB approved Fowler transferring the role of chairman to Peter Seidler, who purchased a stake in the team from Fowler to become the largest stakeholder. Fowler remained with the team as vice chairman until 2022.{{cite web|url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/padres/story/2020-11-18/padres-ron-fowler-owner-steps-down-peter-seidler|title=Padres chairman Ron Fowler steps down; Peter Seidler to take over|work=The San Diego Union-Tribune|first=Kevin|last=Acee|date=November 18, 2020|access-date=November 18, 2020}}

Fowler owned the San Diego Sockers, an indoor soccer team that won 10 championships in 11 years. He also chaired San Diego's first task force that selected a site for what was eventually Petco Park, and he chaired the host committee for Super Bowl XXXVII, held in Qualcomm Stadium in 2003.{{cite news|last=Bloom|first=Barry M.|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120816&content_id=36794138&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb|title=MLB owners approve sale of Padres|date=August 16, 2012|work=MLB.com|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120819020307/http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120816&content_id=36794138&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb|archivedate=August 19, 2012|url-status=live}}

Fowler and his wife Alexis have made major contributions to San Diego State University. The school's College of Business was renamed the Fowler College of Business in 2016 in response to the couple's $25 million contribution to the business school. An earlier challenge donation that raised $10 million for the athletics center resulted in its being named the Fowler Athletic Center.{{cite news|url=http://www.sdbj.com/news/2016/oct/26/fowlers-name-adorn-sdsu-business-school-after-25m-/|title=Fowlers' Name to Adorn SDSU Business School After $25M Gift|last=Hirsh|first=Lou|date=October 26, 2016|work=San Diego Business Journal|access-date=31 October 2016}} The Fowler family has also made 8 figure donations to the University of St. Thomas, Ron's alma mater, and University of San Diego in support of athletics and academic programs.

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• [https://www2.calstate.edu/impact-of-the-csu/alumni/Honorary-Degrees/Pages/ron-l-fowler.aspx California State University bio]
• [https://www.mlb.com/padres/team/front-office/ron-fowler San Diego Padres bio]

{{San Diego Padres owners}}

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Category:1944 births

Category:Living people

Category:American chief executives of food industry companies

Category:Major League Baseball owners

Category:People from St. Cloud, Minnesota

Category:San Diego Padres owners

Category:Carlson School of Management alumni

Category:University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) alumni