Former Giants managing general partner, longtime lead Microsoft attorney Bill Neukom dies at 83
Neukom retired from his role following the 2011 season and after the Giants captured the 2010 World Series for their first of three every-other-year titles that included championships in 2012 and 2014. The 2010 victory marked the first for the team since moving West in 1958.
'Bill will always hold a special place in our hearts and in the history of this franchise,' Giants CEO Larry Baer said in a statement. 'He was instrumental in helping this organization and its players bring the first World Series Championship to San Francisco in 2010. Bill will always be remembered for not only his leadership of this storied organization but also his colorful bow ties and the fact he'd bring a glove to the ballpark to try and catch foul balls. He was a true gentleman, a dedicated fan and a friend to so many.'
An avid runner who completed more than a half-dozen marathons, Neukom first joined the ownership group in 1995 and became a general partner in 2003. When Peter Magowan retired after the 2008 season, Neukom became managing general partner. He developed a catchphrase called 'The Giants Way' of playing baseball. 'My idea is that we adhere to it at the minor-league level and all the way up,' Neukom said when introduced in October 2008. 'It's how you play the game–conditioning, fundamentals, a rigorous spring training regimen–everything. We want the best talent, the best teachers, the best leaders, the best trainers and we want to have better communication on what we want and how we want it done.'
After retiring, Neukom remained involved with the Giants as chairman emeritus. He grew up in nearby San Mateo rooting for the Giants and with then-San Francisco Seals owner Charlie Graham as a neighbor. Neukom also loved riding horses and stayed active despite undergoing hip replacement surgery during his Giants tenure. Serving as top counsel for Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, Neukom was the company's lead lawyer for nearly 25 years. His Microsoft stake was worth an estimated 107 million when he left in 2001. He was a partner in the Seattle office of the law firm Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis. He also was a past president of the American Bar Association, serving in 2007-08. Neukom also founded the World Justice Project in 2006, a multinational multidisciplinary initiative to strengthen the rule of law worldwide.
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