KANSAS CITY, MO (September 30, 2020) – The Kansas City Royals today announced that Kevin Uhlich will retire from his role as Senior Vice President/Business Operations effective October 30. Uhlich will transition into the role of Special Assistant to Chairman and CEO John Sherman.
“I can’t thank Kevin enough for his support and hard work during our ownership transition over this past year,” said John Sherman, Royals Chairman and CEO. “His knowledge of the business side of baseball has been a huge asset to me. While he’s stepping away from the day-to-day operations, we’re grateful that he will continue his valued relationship and institutional knowledge with our organization as an advisor. Our internal team will continue in their various roles with the same passion they bring every day. I look forward to working with them as our transition goes forward.”
“It’s difficult to articulate how much the last 14 years have meant to me and my family,” said Uhlich. “We were native Californians and while we made the move east for two seasons in D.C., we had never experienced the Midwest, but the greater Kansas City area is one of the best kept secrets in our country and I’ve loved every day here. I want to thank the Glass family for the opportunity to move my family here and be a part of the stadium renovation and the championship years. It has also been a great experience to work alongside Dayton Moore, as together we were able to cohesively build a strong foundation on both the business and baseball side, while becoming great friends. Lastly, I’d like to thank Mr. Sherman for his support during the transition and the opportunity to still have an involvement with this great organization as his advisor.”
The 63-year old Uhlich is completing his 44th season in Major League Baseball, a career that began as a batboy for the then-California Angels in 1976, then moving up through the ranks and ultimately landing roles that included Vice President of Stadium Operations and VP of Sales, Marketing and Operations before being named the club’s Senior Vice President of Business Operations in 2002, the same year the club won their only World Series title.
Prior to joining the Royals, Uhlich was the Executive Vice President for the Washington Nationals during their start-up campaign in 2005 and in 2006, before coming to Kansas City on November 7, 2006, as the Senior VP of Business Operations, where he has remained for the last 14 seasons.
A master at stadium renovations and design, Uhlich led the charge for the $275 million Kauffman Stadium renovation that was completed in 2009, working in step with HOK (now Populous) to make the already beautiful facility much more fan friendly. He was also a key figure in the renovation of the Royals winter home in Surprise, AZ, that was completed just before the start of the 2016 spring session.
The Kauffman Stadium renovation was nothing new to Uhlich, who oversaw the $140 million renovation of Anaheim Stadium on behalf of Disney Sports Inc. after they had purchased the Halos. Upon completion of that renovation in 1988, Disney Sports tabbed Uhlich to oversee the entire Angels business side. It was during that time where he led the effort to overhaul the Angels’ brand identity to become Southern California’s only “red team”, a branding strategy that still dominates the geographic area and has become symbolic of the Angels.
After 28 seasons within the Angels’ organization, Uhlich was named Executive Vice President for the Washington Nationals in 2005, as the club made the move from Montreal to begin play in the District of Columbia. Over just a 45-day span, he was tasked with assembling the entire club’s business operations department, while also supervising an $8 million renovation of RFK Stadium that had not seen a Major League Baseball game since 1971 when the Senators moved to Arlington, TX.
It was with the Nationals where he got his first taste of new stadium design, overseeing the planning and construction of the $611 million Nationals Park that opened prior to the 2008 season, one season after Uhlich joined the Royals organization.
While with the Royals, Uhlich also played a huge role in landing the 83rd All-Star Game that was held in 2012, leading the charge to welcome all of Major League Baseball back to Kansas City for its first Midsummer Classic since 1973.
