Stan Kasten

Prior to becoming the Nationals’ President, Kasten was a longtime fixture in Atlanta professional sports primarily due to his association with Ted Turner. It started in 1979, when at age 27, he became the youngest General Manager in the National Basketball Association for the Atlanta Hawks. He held this position until 1990. He became the Hawks’ President in 1986. During his lengthy tenure in the Hawks front office, Kasten became the first (and so far only) NBA executive to win back-to-back NBA Executive of the Year awards, accomplishing this feat in 1986 & 1987. He was also able to build Atlanta into a perennial playoff contender. With the help of NBA superstar Dominique Wilkins, Kasten’s Hawks achieved four straight 50-win seasons from 1986 to 1989, and set team records in attendance. In the 1990s, he guided Atlanta to a stretch of 7 consecutive playoff appearances, including 3 50-win seasons during the decade.

Kasten would also become President of the Atlanta Braves in 1986. From 1987 to 2003, the Braves won more games than any other team in Major League Baseball, while having either the first or second highest payroll in the National League during each of those seasons. As president of the Braves, Kasten, delegated all of the baseball decisions to Atlanta GM John Schuerholz who put together strong, talented teams that consistently competed for a world championship. Their teams, led by the strong managing of Bobby Cox, were centered around a powerful pitching staff which featured Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Steve Avery, and John Smoltz. They also featured All-Star third baseman Chipper Jones, who is regarded as one of the best hitters in Braves history. From 1991 to 2003, the Braves won 12 straight division titles, 5 National League pennants, and the World Series championship in 1995 (The 1994 season was omitted due to the season being wiped out by the player’s strike). In 1999, when the National Hockey League would award the city of Atlanta with an expansion team, Kasten became the president of the Atlanta Thrashers, as well as Chairman of the newly built Philips Arena.

Kasten held all these positions until 2003, when he was forced out and asked to step down.

Kasten took over as President of the Washington Nationals in 2006 under the Lerner Family ownership group.