The late Roy Hofheinz found his niche early in Texas politics and business. Long before the coming of Major League Baseball, this former Harris County judge and Houston mayor already had distinguished himself nationally as an entrepreneurial genius in various business ventures.

In 1960, “The Judge” became the dominant figure in the Houston Sports Association’s efforts to bring a Major League baseball team to Houston. Although the HSA provided the necessary money and organizational support, the city still needed a new stadium to obtain a Major League franchise. The visionary Hofheinz fought to build the world’s first air-conditioned, domed stadium for baseball and other sports. With significant help from others, Judge Hofheinz obtained bond approval from Harris County for the construction of his dream edifice at a cost of $31 million.

As a result of this success, Houston was awarded a National League franchise on October 17, 1960. The ball club began its new life as the Houston Colt .45s on April 10, 1962, playing in a temporary venue known as Colt Stadium that the Judge had built on the grounds near the rising domed structure. Hofheinz wanted fans to be able to watch his fond dream grow as it rose in construction on the Texas prairie land south of downtown. The Houston Colt .45s defeated the Chicago Cubs, 11-2, in that first game, with current TBHOF board member Bob Aspromonte (TBHOF, 2005) racking up the first hit and run scored in franchise history.

When the ball club moved into the new domed stadium in 1965, Judge Hofheinz offered fans another surprise. He renamed the club as the Houston Astros, an identity they would carry proudly with them 40 years later into the 2005 World Series. At the same time, he renamed the new domed stadium as The Astrodome, and proudly proclaimed it to one and all as “The Eighth Wonder of The World.”

Judge Roy Hofheinz passed away in 1982 at the age of 70, but he made his long mark on Texas baseball history 20 years earlier as the driving force that brought Major League Baseball to Houston and the Lone Star State. The Texas Baseball Hall of Fame now further closes the door on unfinished business with the induction of this Texas baseball giant.