Charles K. Monfort (born October 30, 1959) andRichard L. Monfort (born April 27, 1954) are the primary owners of theColorado RockiesMajor League Baseball team.[1] Both grew up inGreeley, Colorado, and are sons to Kenneth Monfort; previous owner of Monfort of Colorado, Inc. a meatpacking and distributing company that was acquired byConAgra Foods in 1987.[2] Dick Monfort is managing general partner, chairman andchief executive officer, while Charlie Monfort is the team's other general partner and vice chairman.
Dick Monfort was the first born of the two Monfort brothers. Dick graduated from theUniversity of Northern Colorado, Greeley in 1976 with a bachelor's degree in Business Management. He joined Monfort of Colorado in 1974 as a cattle buyer. He then served as vice president federal cattle procurement from 1979–81, group vice president of cattle products 1983-1984 and executive vice president 1984-1987. When ConAgra bought Monfort of Colorado in 1987, Dick became president of ConAgra Red Meats.[3] Dick also owns shares in theHyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort and Spa in Indian Wells, California, theHilltop Steak House in Boston, and other real estate ventures in Colorado. At theUniversity of Northern Colorado, Dick serves on the board of trustees along with the board of directors atUniversity of Colorado Hospital,Denver Zoo, and the Colorado Economic Development Board. Dick now resides inDenver, Colorado with his wife Karen.[4]
Charlie Monfort graduated from theUniversity of Utah in 1982 with a bachelor's degree in Marketing and Business Management where he served as president ofKappa Sigma fraternity, succeeded by Eddie Hillard. Charlie started working for the family business Monfort of Colorado, Inc. also in 1988 as president of International Sales until 1996.[3] In 1996, Charlie became president ofConAgra Foods International; later leaving in 1998 to concentrate on his previous commitment to the Rockies.[5] Charlie also serves on the board of trustees atColorado Mesa University (formerly Mesa State College) inGrand Junction, Colorado. All along with being a board member of the Kempe Foundation, theSpecial Olympics, and the Monfort Family Foundation. Charlie has son Kenny, daughter Ciara, son Lucas, daughter Danica and stepson Brenden.[6]
On September 2, 1992,Jerry McMorris welcomed Charlie Monfort and Oren Benton to join him in buying controlling interest in the Rockies.[6] This came after founding ownerMickey Monus was ensnared in a massive accounting scandal surrounding hisPhar-Mor discount drugstores.Dick Monfort later replaced Benton in the ownership group, and became vice chairman of the Rockies on December 8, 1997.[4] On March 31, 2003, Charlie was named CEO of the Colorado Rockies, succeeding presidentKeli McGregor who had taken the role from McMorris in 2001.[5]In 2005, Dick and Charlie Monfort purchased McMorris’ financial interest in the team, becoming the primary owners. Charlie remained as managing general partner, chairman and CEO until 2011, when he handed both roles to Dick.
Under their tenure, the Rockies have made the playoffs only four times while having just five winning seasons from 2005 to 2023. Prior to the 2023 season, Dick told a crowd at a local charity breakfast that the club was capable of achieving a .500 winning percentage in 2023.[7] The2023 Colorado Rockies went 59-103 with a winning percentage of .364, giving them the worst record in the National League that season.
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