Ted Turner, the media mogul who among other career achievements, helped the Atlanta Braves rise to national popularity in the 1990s, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 87.
Turner purchased the Braves in 1976 and immediately became a hands-on owner, overseeing many of the team’s day-to-day operations and even serving as manager for one game.
Turner relinquished some of his duties as the Braves struggled throughout the 1980s and hired current Los Angeles Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten to the same role.
Kasten discussed his relationship with Turner and said he was a one of a kind owner who endeared himself to everyone who knew him, via Tyler Kepner of The Athletic.
“He was riding the ostriches, he was pushing a ball down the third-base line with his nose,” Los Angeles Dodgers president Stan Kasten, who worked for Turner for decades, said Wednesday. “He was doing all of that because he was engaged and passionate about everything he ever undertook.”
Kasten first began working for Turner in 1979, when he was named general manager of the Atlanta Hawks. He held that position until 1990 and led the franchise to a plethora of success, including a stretch of seven consecutive playoff appearances.
Kasten, who later served as president of the Hawks, became the first person in NBA history to win back-to-back Executive of the Year awards from 1986-1987.
Kasten also briefly served as president of the former NHL franchise known as the Atlanta Thrashers, who became the Winnipeg Jets in 2011. Turner played a big role in bringing professional hockey back to Atlanta and was proud of the accomplishment despite the team eventually relocating just over a decade later.
Braves’ success with Ted Turner & Stan Kasten
From 1987 — Kasten’s first season as president — through 2003, the Braves won more games than any team in baseball. The club won five National League pennants during the stretch and captured a World Series title in 1995.
Kasten stepped down as Braves president after the 2003 season, which is also when Turner gave up control of the franchise.
Kasten would eventually become president of the Washington Nationals in 2006 before joining Guggenheim Baseball Management’s bid to purchase the Dodgers six years later.
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