A. Ray Smith

Albert Ray Smith (May 1, 1915 – June 28, 1999, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States) was a long-time baseball executive, best known for his ownership of the minor-league Tulsa Oilers franchise, which he later moved to Louisville, Kentucky, where the team set minor league attendance records.

Biography Born in Dugger, Indiana, he played football at, and received a business administration degree from, Indiana University. With Clint Murchison, he co-founded Tecon Industries, a construction company predecessor of Standard Industries. He supervised the company's role in major construction projects around the world, including the St. Lawrence Seaway and the widening of the Panama Canal. During World War II, he was a colonel in the 8th Air Force Corps of Engineers. He moved to Tulsa in 1958, and bought out Murchison's interest in Standard Industries in 1961. In February of that same year, he got wind that Tulsa Oilers owner Grayle Howlett was about to move the team to Albuquerque. Smith persuaded Howlett to sell him a stake in the team for $25,000. A few months later, in July 1961, he bought out Howlett's interest and became sole owner.