Kevin Towers, a North Medford High School grad and former general manager of the San Diego Padres, died at the age of 56.
NBC San Diego reports Towers died Tuesday morning from complications of a rare type of thyroid cancer.
Towers once held the longest tenure of any general manager in Major League Baseball.
Under Towers, the Padres won for National League titles and even made it to the World Series in 1998.
The Padres released the following statement:
“We are profoundly saddened by the loss of Kevin Towers, who passed away early this morning after a courageous battle with cancer. Kevin spent nearly thirty years in the Padres organization as a player, scout, and front office executive. He led our Club with strength, conviction and unwavering determination, and was beloved by all who knew him. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, especially his wonderful wife, Kelley.”
Towers grew up in Medford, where he was an avid baseball, football and basketball player. He graduated from NMHS in 1979.
Towers was drafted by the Padres as a pitcher in 1982 but eventually moved on to scouting. He left the Padres in 2009 to work the front office of the Arizona Diamondbacks between 2011 and 2014.
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