(Photo by Bill Baptist/Getty Images)

Drayton McLane, Jr. spent the majority of his life building an exceptional business reputation as one of the greatest and most successful entrepreneurs in the United States.

The 72-year-old chairman and CEO of the Houston Astros understands the benefits, values and rewards of demonstrating a tremendous work ethic and applying personal knowledge and experience into making the Astros a prominent organization.

Since purchasing the Astros in 1993, McLane has watched his club blossom into a consistent National League contender with a history of special players like Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell representing the purity of the city of Houston.

In 1994, Bagwell became the fourth player in NL history to win the MVP Award unanimously, despite the strike-shortened season, hitting. 368 with 39 home runs and 116 RBIs in 400 at-bats. Bagwell’s .750 slugging percentage ranks as the highest by an NL player since Rogers Hornsby in 1925.   

Overall, Houston managers have played an instrumental role in the success of the Astros during McLane’s tenure as owner. Former manager Larry Dierker won three consecutive divisional titles from 1997-99 and a fourth title in 2001. Dierker forever holds a special place in Astros’ history as a standout pitcher, broadcaster and successful manager.

He led the Astros to a record 102 wins during the 1998 season. McLane graded Dierker based on the team’s first-round playoff elimination in 1997 and 1999 by the Atlanta Bravesand All-Star right-hander Kevin Brown and the San Diego Padres in 1998.

Former manager Phil Garner led the team to the 2004 NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals, but fell short of making the World Series. In 2005, the Astros defied the odds and and appeared in the World Series for the first time in franchise history.

Despite being swept by the Chicago White Sox, this marked the first occasion in which the World Series was played in the state of Texas.

The Astros have built a database of cherished memories and a collection of extraordinary players who received the honor of wearing the sacred uniform. Despite so many precious moments, McLane tends to be over-involved rather than leaving the critical decision-making skills up to the general manager, manager and coaches.    

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