30 Facts About Kevin Towers

1. Kevin Towers died on January 30, 2018 in San Diego, California of thyroid cancer at the age of 56.

2. Kevin Towers spent 14 years with the Padres, including during the 1998 World Series season.

3. Kevin Towers was known as a popular and insightful executive, first entering the front office ranks as a scout before he became the Padres' GM in 1995.

4. Kevin Towers traded away several starting pitchers, including Ian Kennedy, Trevor Bauer, Jarrod Parker and Tyler Skaggs, along with outfielder Adam Eaton.

5. Kevin Towers was known as a dealer during his time in San Diego, putting together teams that won four division titles and went to the 1998 World Series.

6. Kevin Towers said La Russa told him he wanted to restructure the front office a couple of weeks ago and was offered another position within the organization.

7. Kevin Towers was hired in 2010 after 14 seasons as the San Diego Padres' general manager.

8. Kevin Towers was a dead GM walking from the moment Arizona hired Tony La Russa.

9. Kevin Towers was a Texas League All-Star in 1984 and pitched seven seasons in San Diego's farm system before a series of arm operations ended his playing career at Triple-A Las Vegas in 1988.

10. On the international level, Kevin Towers has helped raise the global presence of the D-backs, signing the organization's first players from Japan, Brazil and Germany.

11. Kevin Towers pitched for eight seasons in the Padres system but never cracked the majors.

12. Kevin Towers was diagnosed with a rare form of thyroid cancer in December 2016.

13. Kevin Towers often butted heads with Phil Nevin and got so angry that he took down his picture from the hallway and put it above a toilet, where it still hangs.

14. Kevin Towers indeed remembered telling the lawman why he wasn't quite good enough.

15. Kevin Towers said it was time to go to Bully's, a celebrated local tavern, and celebrate.

16. Kevin Towers would stand on street corners with a "Yes On C" sign.

17. Kevin Towers was their general manager four of those times.

18. Kevin Towers was fired late in the 2009 season by Vice Chairman and CEO Jeff Moorad, who was attempting to buy the team on a layaway basis.

19. Kevin Towers was effective at crafting trades with a wide spectrum of general managers and acquired several of the players for the 1998 San Diego team that set a club record with 98 victories and beat two 100-win teams in the playoffs before losing to the 114-win Yankees in the World Series.

20. Kevin Towers was diagnosed with anaplastic thyroid cancer near the end of 2016.

21. Kevin Towers was in the Padres organization in 1984, the first time the team won the pennant.

22. Kevin Towers was diagnosed with Anaplastic thyroid cancer in December 2016 after the Winter Meetings in Washington, DC He had trouble breathing, an initial symptom of the disease, which is so rare it afflicts only 600 patients in the US annually, according to the Thyroid Cancer Survivor's Association.

23. Kevin Towers was responsible for trades that netted the Padres the likes of Greg Vaughn, Kevin Brown, Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell, just to name a few.

24. Kevin Towers built four National League West winners in San Diego, adding a fifth division title with the D-backs in 2011.

25. Kevin Towers declined, saying the new GM didn't need to have him hovering over his head.

26. Kevin Towers had been diagnosed with anaplastic thyroid cancer back in December 2016.

27. Kevin Towers are iconic enough that they've become the symbol used by the neighborhood's community council and other civic bodies to represent Mt.

28. Kevin Towers joined the New York Yankees as a special assignment scout for the 2010 season.

29. Kevin Towers became the Padres' seventh general manager in 1995, succeeding Randy Smith.

30. Kevin Towers pitched in Minor League Baseball in San Diego's farm system for seven years.