Former Padres Owner Who Was Close With Jimmy Carter Reflects on President's Death

Maren Angus-Coombs | Jan 1, 2025

Sep 4, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; Former San Diego Padres owner John Moores looks on before a game against the Detroit Tigers at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images / Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Former San Diego Padres owner John Moores remembers the day he met the late President Jimmy Carter. It was well before he bought the Padres in the early 1990s and Carter was in Moores' hometown of Houston for an event with Nelson Mandela.

“Somebody asked me if I wanted to meet Carter, and I said, ‘You bet your ass,’” Moores said in a phone interview with Barry Bloom of Sportico. “So, in one fell swoop I met Jimmy Carter and Nelson Mandela.”

That was the beginning of a friendship that lasted decades.

More news: Padres' Biggest Threat in Roki Sasaki Sweepstakes Meets With Japanese Star

The two men collaborated on public health projects and were close friends who went fishing all over the world. They also shared a love for baseball.

"Carter was a baseball nut," Moores recalled in a phone interview two years ago, as the 98-year-old Carter entered hospice care at his home in Plains, Ga.

Moores, who bought the Padres in 1995 and later sold the team to a group led by the late Peter Seidler in 2012, shared this memory. Despite his connection to Moores, Carter, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 100, was a dedicated Atlanta Braves fan.

“He always tried to hide it from me when the Padres were in town,” Moores, 80, said.

In 1998, Carter was with Moores in his box at Turner Field when the Padres clinched their second National League pennant by defeating the Braves 5-0 in Game 6 of the NLCS. Despite the Braves' loss, Carter handled the defeat graciously as the Padres triumphed over future Hall-of-Famer Tom Glavine. That year, the Padres were swept by the New York Yankees in the World Series.

Moores also recalled a regular-season game in Atlanta, sitting with Carter in a front-row box when a powerful foul ball from the late Ken Caminiti came toward them. Moores’ instinct was to block the ball, highlighting the closeness of the moment.

“It was coming right at Rosalynn and at the last second Carter reached up and grabbed it,” Moores said, referring to the first lady. “The funny thing is Carter had a huge splinter in his right hand from woodworking. It looked nasty and infected, but he caught the ball anyway.”

Carter lived a full life and Moores appreciated the time he spent with him.

“He’s the greatest man I ever met,” Moores said. “There are not enough words to describe what he did and meant to people everywhere.”

More news: Padres Fan Favorite Free Agent Linked to AL East Squad