Colorado Rockies team president Keli McGregor was found dead this morning in his Salt Lake City hotel room. He was
48.
According to an article on the Rockies official team website, McGregor was in Salt Lake City on business with Charlie Montfort, team chairman and CEO, and Greg Feasel, executive vice president.
Paramedics were called to the Grand America Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City when associates were unable to reach McGregor. While details have yet to unravel, no foul play is suspected and all indications are that McGregor died of natural causes.
McGregor, reared in Colorado, was a two-time All-American tight end and Colorado State University, where he is third on the school’s list in career receptions with 153. In 1985 he received a B.S. degree in microbiology.
He was also drafted that year by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round. He played tight end for the Broncos, Indianapolis Colts and Seattle Seahawks. He was named to the CSU All-Century team in 1992 and its Hall of Fame in 1996.
McGregor joined the Rockies in 1993 as senior director of operations before becoming senior vice president in 1996 and Executive vice president in 1998. He assumed the presidency of the team in Oct. 2001.
MLB Commissioner Bud Selig made a statement today regarding the news:
“On behalf of Major League Baseball, I am very saddened by the sudden and unexpected passing of Keli McGregor. As president of the Colorado Rockies, Keli was one of our game’s rising young stars. He was a great athlete and equally great as a baseball administrator. Also, he was a great human being. All of baseball will miss him. I offer my condolences and deepest sympathies to his family, friends and the Rockies ballclub.”
As of the time of this article, the Rockies are scheduled to play their game tonight against the Washington Nationals in Washington.
Re-printed with permission of the author.
In addition to writing her Chicago Cubs column for Examiner.com, Miriam Romain has been published in several Cubs annuals by Maple Street Press and is a contributor to SportsClimax.com . She is also writing a book with the working title “Summers at Wrigley with my Dad.”
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