Kevin Towers will be inducted posthumously into the Padres Hall of Fame in a pregame ceremony May 12 as part of a weeklong celebration of the 1998 National League championship team, the club announced Tuesday.

Fittingly, Towers pieced that team together during his 14-plus-year stint as the Padres general manager, the most successful era of the franchise. The Padres won four NL West titles under Towers, advanced to the World Series for the second time in franchise history and played six of their 14 winning seasons under Towers’ watch. Further, voters approved funding of Petco Park in the November 1998 election that closely followed the Padres’ World Series appearance.

“I think Kevin coming in with the ’98 club and how he built that team … that ultimately got to the World Series and led to Measure C passing – for him to do that, helping the organization on so many levels – it’s perfect,” Trevor Hoffman said. “The only way it would be better, obviously, is if he were around to take part in it.”

Towers was 56 when he died Jan. 30 after a 14-month battle with a cancer of the thyroid. His induction was decided by the Padres front office in collaboration with local media.


“During his memorable 15-year run as general manager here in San Diego,” Scott Miller, chairman of the San Diego chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, said in a statement, “Kevin Towers was many things to many people: Architect of the greatest stretch in Padres history, builder of stout bullpens, groomer of talent, self-professed gunslinger and, always, a scout at heart. But perhaps KT’s greatest tool came in his humanity: From executive offices to the intern’s desk, he was a beloved friend to all. So many in our game will never forget his warm smile, quick wit and ferocious desire to win.

“That his legacy will live on in the Padres Hall of Fame not only is altogether fitting, it is wholly deserved.”

The Hall-of-Fame-bound Hoffman was one of more than two dozen friends who spoke of Towers at a celebration of life held last month at Petco Park. The number of MLB executives, managers, coaches, scouts and personnel who flocked to San Diego that weekend was in the hundreds.

“I think it’s very fitting that the architect of four postseason teams in San Diego is being inducted into the Padres Hall of Fame,” Hoffman said in the release. “That’s where he belongs.”


Members of Towers’ family will be present when he becomes the 15th person to be enshrined in the Padres’ Hall of Fame. More than 30 of his years of service to the Padres includes his GM stint from 1995 to 2009. He was 34 when he was promoted from scouting director to the head of San Diego’s baseball operations. Players that Towers acquired for the 1998 club — which set a franchise record with 98 wins — include Kevin Brown, Greg Vaughn, Wally Joyner, Chris Gomez, Quilvio Veras and Sterling Hitchcock.

Towers also brought in Phil Nevin, Ryan Klesko, Brian Giles, Adrian Gonzalez, David Wells and Heath Bell and it was his front office that drafted future Cy Young Award-winner Jake Peavy in the 15th round in 1999.

A right-handed pitcher, Towers originally joined the Padres out of BYU in 1982 in the first-year player draft. He pitched seven seasons in San Diego’s farm system before injuries cut short his playing career and was an area scout for the organization from 1989 to 1991 while also serving as a short-season pitching coach for future Padres manager Bruce Bochy. Towers returned the organization in 1993 as director of scouting.

Towers also won an NL West title as the Diamondbacks general manager after his Padres’ tenure.


“Kevin was the perfect embodiment of what it means to be a Padre and his legacy will continue to live on at Petco Park,” Padres Executive Chairman Ron Fowler and General Partner Peter Seidler said in a joint statement. “He was truly instrumental in putting San Diego on the baseball map, and this well-deserved induction into the Padres Hall of Fame ensures his place in club history. As one of the most beloved executives in our game, Kevin’s devotion to his craft was unparalleled and his influence continues to be widespread.”

Other members of the Padres Hall of Fame:

Randy Jones (inducted in 1999)

Nate Colbert (1999)


Ray Kroc (1999)

Dave Winfield (2000)

Jerry Coleman (2001)

Buzzie Bavasi (2001)


Tony Gwynn (2002)

Dick Williams (2009)

Trevor Hoffman (2014)

Benito Santiago (2015)


Garry Templeton (2015)

Ken Caminiti (2016)

Ted Williams (2016)

Jack McKeon (2017)


Staff writer Kevin Acee contributed to this report.

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jeff.sanders@sduniontribune.com; Twitter: @sdutSanders