A native of Refugio, Texas, Nolan Ryan was a flamethrowing pitcher who signed with the Astros as a free agent after the 1979 season. The first player to earn one million dollars per season, Ryan had already tossed four no-hitters and set numerous strikeout records with the California Angels.

He was nearly as effective with Houston. He tossed his fifth no-hitter in 1981 and became the all-time strikeout leader when he passed the immortal Walter Johnson in 1983. Ryan had several hard-luck seasons with Houston, most notably in 1987 when he led the league in ERA and strikeouts but finished with an 8-16 record due to abysmal run support. After the 1988 season, Ryan left the Astros due to an egregious miscalculation by owner John McMullen; he had tried to cut Ryan's salary by 20%, thinking the pitcher would stay in Houston rather than become a free agent. Ryan finished his remarkable career with the Texas Rangers, winning his 300th game, punching out his 5,000th strikeout and tossing two more no-hitters on his way into the Hall of Fame - as a Ranger.

Ryan was an Astro for nine seasons, the most for him with any team. He compiled a 106-94 record with a 3.13 ERA and 1866 strikeouts. Beyond breaking Johnson's strikeout record, Ryan notched his 3,000th, 4,000th and 4,500th strikeouts in an Astros' jersey. His 27-season career record is 324-292 with a 3.19 ERA, 222 complete games, 61 shutouts and a baseball best 5,714 strikeouts. He pitched past his 46th birthday and threw his last when he blew out his elbow in September, 1993 - having played for parts of four decades.

Ryan's years since his playing days has somewhat mirrored how his playing career went. He became a partner in a group that brought Houston's AA and AAA franchises to Texas in Round Rock and Corpus Christi. He signed a personal services contract with the Astros and worked with their young pitchers as well as hosting an "elite camp" in the late winter. In 2008, he was offered to work as President of the Rangers and accepted that post. In 2010, he became part of an ownership group buying the Rangers from Tom Hicks.