Muriel Kauffman

Inducted 1996
Royals First Lady 1968-1995

Known as the First Lady of Royals baseball, Muriel Kauffman is credited as the driving force that inspired her husband Ewing to pursue ownership of Kansas City's expansion baseball club. After the club was founded, she was instrumental in many design aspects of the Royals and the development of Royals Stadium, including its signature fountains. She also played a pivotal role in the establishment and success of the Royal Lancer Program. The foundation that bears her name continues her legacy of support for education, health and the performing arts in Kansas City.

POSITION: Royals First Lady

NOTES: Muriel Kauffman (August 28, 1916 - March 17, 1995) was the wife and partner of founding Kansas City Royals owner Ewing Kauffman. Kauffman was born in Toronto, Canada, and met her husband in Miami, Fla., in the early 1960s. They were married in 1962.

Royal Lancers
Royal Lancers

In 1968 – before the Royals ever took the field - the Royal Lancers embodied both for the ballclub and Kansas City fans. Royals founder Ewing Kauffman and his wife Muriel established the group of business professionals who shared a love for the game and for the community who could serve as Kansas City Baseball’s Goodwill Ambassadors. Through the efforts of the first Lancers the Royals set a then American League record for Season Ticket Sales before the team played it’s first game in 1969. Over the years their most visible impact came from their role as a Season Ticket Sales Force for the club. However, their spirit for service allowed them to make a difference in many other areas for the Royals and the greater Kansas City community.

Photos

Muriel Kauffman, the Royals' First Lady from the franchise's birth to her passing in 1995, was enshrined into the franchise's Hall of Fame in 1996.

-- KC Royals

Mrs. Kauffman was a member of the club's board of directors and helped found the Royal Lancers, a group of business professionals with a passion for baseball and a desire to represent the Kansas City baseball community.

-- KC Royals

Mrs. Kauffman was the driving force behind her husband Ewing's decision to buy the Royals franchise.

-- KC Royals

Ewing and Muriel Kauffman at the first Royals game.

-- KC Royals