Nolan Ryan to retire as Rangers CEO

Texas Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan (right) will step down from that post on October 31. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Texas Rangers CEO and MLB Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan will retire from that post, effective at the end of the month, the team announced Thursday.

Ryan was named president of the Rangers in February 2008 and became the team's Chief Executive Officer in March 2011.

"This is the right time for me to step down from my role of overseeing the Rangers organization,” said Ryan. “I am extremely proud of what this organization has accomplished.

"On the field, we have enjoyed great success at the major league level. The fans have supported us in record numbers the last two years and we have been able to upgrade the ballpark and enhance the in-game experience to reward that loyalty."

In his six years with the club as an executive, the Rangers had baseball's fifth-highest winning percentage. The Rangers have won 90 games in each of the last four seasons and reached the World Series twice in the past six seasons.

“Under Nolan’s leadership and guidance over the last six years, the Rangers organization has made enormous strides both on and off the field,” said Rangers Co-Chairmen Ray Davis and Bob Simpson. “Nolan has meant so much to this franchise and to our fans. We thank him for his many contributions, including his role in helping to develop one of the finest baseball operations staff in the game. “Today we turn the page on what we believe is a very bright future for this organization. We wish Nolan all the best.”