George King Named Sounds General Manager

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Nashville Sounds co-owner Frank Ward announced today that George King has been named as the team’s new general manager.

King, who was formally introduced by Ward at a press conference this afternoon, comes to Music City after spending 12 years working in the Pacific Coast League office, the past four as the league’s Vice President of Business & Operations.

“Today is an exciting day for the Sounds,” Ward said. “We have spent the past few months reviewing a list of well-qualified individuals to become our new general manager. George is very respected throughout the industry, and we look forward to his leadership of professional baseball in Nashville.”

“A city of Nashville’s standing deserves a club and ballpark it can be proud of,” King said. “We look forward to being Nashville’s very own stimulus package of fun against today’s headlines and my family is tickled to death to now call Music City home.”

In his role with the PCL, King supervised all on-field baseball operations for the league – including MLB PDC-affiliate relations, player roster and procurement compliance, MLB Rules and Policy adherence, on-field discipline, umpire deployment and management, and facility matters – as well as team travel procedures and League rules, administration, and finance. He was also involved in marketing and communications, including League-wide promotions and sponsorships, and was an ad hoc member on several league committees.

“In addition to the professional expertise that he brings to Nashville, George possesses a contagious spirit which will result in Sounds fans realizing the high level of fun a trip to the ballpark entails,” said PCL President Branch Rickey. “He brings a perspective of familiarity with all of the other PCL franchises as well as a sharp sense of many of the successful endeavors that the other clubs have accomplished around the league.”

“I am pleased with the appointment of George to this key post in an important city like Nashville. He’s demonstrated an innate ability to get things done throughout his career in baseball,” said Pat O’Conner, President of Minor League Baseball. “George’s broad experience and ability to get the big picture will mean good things to the club and to baseball in Nashville.”

King’s 15-year professional baseball career began on the operations staff of the Phoenix Firebirds in 1995, where he later worked as the media director until the team was forced to fold and relocate with the arrival of the Arizona Diamondbacks. He has held media positions with the San Francisco Giants and Major League Baseball’s Arizona Fall League. King also served as the vice president & general manager of the Valley Vipers, an independent minor league club, where his duties not only included overseeing sales, operations and marketing, but player scouting and development as well.

In 2000, King was named Director of Baseball Operations of Major League Baseball’s Arizona Fall League, filling the position left by Hall of Famer Frank Robinson’s promotion to the Office of the Commissioner. His duties there were expanded to include player personnel management and on-field operations for all 30 Major League clubs.

Prior to working in baseball, George served nine years in the U.S. Navy, including five overseas while forward deployed in Japan. Following dozens of ports of call and sea duty exercises around the globe aboard the USS COOK (FF-1083) and USS BUNKER HILL (CG-52), George was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal for distinguished service. After his discharge, he was a general manager with the Tosco Marketing Corporation in Phoenix, Ariz., overseeing the daily operation of three retail markets in the Phoenix area.

King and his wife, Tiffany, have three children: two daughters, Abigail and Ava, and one son, Joshua. The East Texas native holds a B.S. in Business Management (Finance and Management emphasis) from the University of Maryland University College (Asia).