SPARTAN RECORD BOOK
McLane Baseball Stadium at Kobs Field The deepest section of the ballpark is in center field, measuring 400 feet, with the shallowest part being down the right-field line at a mere 301 feet. Former Spartan Kirk Gibson launched the longest ball ever hit out of Kobs Field in 1978 when he smacked a 550-foot blast that cleared the trees in right-center and landed on Adams Field (formerly known as Landon Field). The right-field fence, which was heightened to 20 feet prior to the 2011 season, adorns the numbers of four Spartan greats: No. 1 Danny Litwhiler, No. 25 John Kobs, No. 36 Robin Roberts, and No. 30 Kirk Gibson, which will be added in 2012. The site of Kobs Field was originally purchased by Michigan State’s Board of Agriculture in 1900 for $1,137.50. Kobs Field was dedicated in 1969 to John Herman Kobs, who served as head coach at Michigan State for 39 seasons (1925-63). ABOUT DRAYTON McLANE Drayton McLane is no stranger to bringing new life to baseball programs or corporate endeavors for that matter.
Drayton & Elizabeth McLane
While owner of the Houston Astros from 1993-2011, the Astros won four National League Central Division titles, earned two Wild Card berths and appeared in the 2005 World Series. The McLane family also brought one the finest stadiums in the game to the franchise - the award-winning Minute Maid Park.
McLane also serves as Chairman of McLane Group. During his years with the McLane Company - a subsidiary wholesale grocery distribution business - he enhanced its technology systems and added 16 distribution centers nationwide to expand its business from a $3 million a year operation into a $19 billion enterprise. McLane and his wife, Elizabeth, have two sons, Drayton III and Denton. In his spare time, McLane has been active in numerous philanthropic ventures, including: Vice President of the Executive Board for the Boy Scouts of America; Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Scott and White Memorial Hospital; member of the National Board of Governors for Cooper Institute of Aerobics Research; a director of the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University; member of the Greater Houston Partnership; and member of the United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast. In 2008, McLane was recognized as the Michigan State Baseball Distinguished Alumnus of the Year.
Drayton McLane with MSU Athletics Director Mark Hollis at the McLane Baseball Stadium dedication on May 2, 2009.
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