Quick Facts
Biography
Ballard F. Smith (born 1946) is a former President of the San Diego Padres major league baseball franchise.A graduate of Carleton College and the University of Minnesota Law School, Smith was a district attorney in Pennsylvania before taking over the Padres in 1979 during the time his father-in-law Ray Kroc owned the team.He led the Padres to the 1984 National League Championship and served on the Executive Committee of Major League Baseball from 1984 to 1987.He also served on the Board of Directors of the McDonald's Corporation from 1983-1997.Smith subsequently moved to Idaho and to other business interests and activities.
In 2013, Smith co-founded an educational non-profit called Science of Sportwith University of Arizona Professor Ricardo Valerdiaimed at promoting STEM education through sports examples.Smith serves as Executive Directorfor the non-profit which has established educational programs for the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, and Washington Nationals.