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El Paso Baseball Hall of Famer and former El Paso Diablos leader Rick Parr is officially joining the El Paso Sports Commission team, taking the reins as president under CEO Brian Kennedy.

“We are very pleased to bring in someone of Rick’s caliber to join us in moving forward to help take El Paso and the El Paso Sports Commission to the forefront of entertainment and sports tourism,” Kennedy said. “His events and sports experience will add to a strong collaboration that will enhance our efforts, all in the best interest of making El Paso shine.”

The mission of the El Paso Sports Commission is to increase the influx of sports tourism dollars to the El Paso community through the creation of local tournaments, the enhancement of existing tournaments and by attracting regional, national and international events to the El Paso community.

The longtime non-profit organization, since 2003, also oversees the El Paso County Coliseum, which hosts close to 200 events yearly, and is considered the oldest and one of the most popular entertainment venues in the Southwest.

“I’m excited to be back in El Paso and joining the El Paso Sports Commission,” said Parr, who spent close to three decades in the Sun City at the beginning of his career. “Our focus is to make our community better and offer a great quality of life with exciting events, and I’m thankful that I can be part of it.”

Via a Wednesday news release, Sports Commission officials shared, “The highly-respected Parr brings with him an amazing résumé of experience, including his recent stint as president and national director of sales, as well as radio host, for America Matters Media in Reno, Nv. He also served as general manager for more than 30 years in Minor League Baseball in Triple-A with the Reno Aces in 2008-14 and the Tucson Sidewinders in 2001-08, and in Double-A with the El Paso Diablos in 1979-2001, taking over as president in 1996.”

Parr is a graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso, where he was an Academic All-Western Athletic Conference football player and later a graduate assistant and assistant coach for the Miners.

Parr has earned numerous awards and honors, as well as several organization titles while with the El Paso Diablos, including the President’s Trophy (best overall operations), threetime McPhail Award (best promotions), Freitas Award (best overall operations and community commitment; Diablos were the first organization to receive the honor) and Organization of the Decade 1980-89 by Baseball America Magazine. Parr, alongside owner Jim Paul, set the standard in MiLB for many events, operations and promotions while with the Diablos.

Parr also was a member of the National Association/MiLB Licensing Committee, facilitated and helped implement the El Paso Professional Baseball Seminar, chairman of the Pacific Coast League Promotional Committee, hosted the International Baseball/Double-A All-Star Game and the 2013 Triple-A All-Star Game, and facilitated and helped implement the Promotional/Marketing Baseball Seminar for more than 25 years for MiLB, soccer and college executives.

Parr was inducted into the El Paso Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998. He is married to Julie and the couple have two children: Lizzie, 15, and Joe, 13.