Former Rangers executive Norman Lyons, who spent 17 years with the organization, died Friday after a long illness, the club announced. He was 73.
Lyons joined the Rangers in July 1993 as the team's first vice president of community development and served in the role until his retirement in November 2009. He was a driving force behind the creation and development of the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation and a number of the team's charitable efforts, including college scholarship programs, the construction of nine youth ballparks and an annual Organ Donor Night.
"He was a great ambassador for the club and represented the Rangers in every corner of our community," the Rangers said in a statement Saturday.

Lyons is the only two-time recipient of the Rangers' Jim Sundberg Community Achievement Award, which he earned in 2003 and 2009. In retirement, Lyons remained involved in the community, serving as the coordinator of the City of Arlington Community Relations Committee for the last year. He was honored by the city last month when Dec. 12, 2017 was declared Norman B. Lyons Day in Arlington.