Influential owner Dave Elmore passes away

The baseball community mourns the loss of Dave Elmore, a beloved owner and founder of several Minor League teams, who passed away on Wednesday. He was 88.

It’s apparent that few embodied the true spirit of Minor League Sports quite like Elmore, who was the founder of the Elmore Sports Group, a conglomerate of Minor League baseball and hockey teams, facility management, special event and concession companies. The group owned the Eugene Emeralds, Inland Empire 66ers, Amarillo Sod Poodles, San Antonio Missions and Lynchburg Hillcats.

“The thing that always got him excited about Minor League Baseball was that it was affordable, it was family-oriented and kid-oriented,” said Dave’s son, D.G. Elmore Jr. “That was the sort of thing he loved -- seeing families and seeing the way it brought communities together.”

For Elmore, nothing was more important than connecting with the community. Born in Anderson, Ind., on July 11, 1934, he grew up poor and didn’t get the opportunity to attend Minor League games as a child. He eventually graduated from law school and was an attorney for the Comiskey family, who owned the Chicago White Sox. It was through his work there that he realized that owning a team one day would be a dream come true.

Owning a Major League team was unrealistic, but an opportunity arose in the Pacific Coast League. Elmore was doing business out in Hawaii when the Triple-A Hawaii Islanders were put up for sale, and he jumped at the opportunity. The now-defunct franchise is recognized as one of the most successful Minor League Baseball teams in history.

“That really ignited his passion for having a team that’s very community-oriented,” Elmore Jr. said.

No matter where in the country baseball took the Elmore family, making a difference in the community was paramount -- and it happened everywhere they went, from Hawaii to California to Texas.

“Regardless of where we put our home to physically live, we felt that our team was always part of the community. That’s what he always strived for,” Elmore Jr. said. “We would go as fans, but we would go realizing that we’re part of helping bring all these people together.”

Elmore was inducted into the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame in 2014 and later joined the Texas League Hall in 2016. He was also the recipient of the coveted King of Baseball Award in '16, given to a veteran of professional baseball for longtime dedication and service.

“His legacy really focuses on his desire to see Minor League Baseball be an integral part of the community. That’s really what it was all about for him -- just making it available, keeping it affordable, and being a place of entertainment and joy for families,” Elmore Jr. said. “He always wanted that connection of people to happen at the ballpark. He felt that Minor League Baseball was a place that we could leave all the agendas aside and come together as a community to form a fanbase.”

The Elmore group rarely ever sold teams, and they constantly invested in the franchises they owned. This included building new stadiums for several clubs, including the Missions and the 66ers.

"We were able to bring things to the community over the course of 30, almost 40 years, that were really unique," Elmore Jr. said.

It’s safe to say that Elmore succeeded in his vision and then some. Those who knew the visionary owner were often touched by his kindness and compassion, but few got to “experience that kindness at a really deep level,” Elmore Jr. said.

“There was a special tenderness and care for and desire to -- regardless of cost or anything -- help people and be involved in making a difference for them,” he added.

In addition to his work in MiLB, Elmore was passionate about hockey, owning several franchises and helping in the development of the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah, a state-of-the-art sports arena which hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics.