Missions President Burl Yarbrough Transitions to Role as Club’s Senior Advisor 

SAN ANTONIO (Jan. 13, 2026) — San Antonio Missions President Burl Yarbrough, a Texas League Hall of Famer, will transition to a new role as senior advisor for the club ahead of the 2026 season. Yarbrough will assist with various special projects, including the Missions’ upcoming move to a new downtown ballpark.

“I’ve been blessed to run this organization for 38 years, and for 42 years in professional baseball,” Yarbrough said. “It’s been a wonderful experience here in San Antonio, and I’m looking forward to being part of the future here and helping the front office as they continue to make this one of the best franchises in Minor League Baseball.”

The Fort Worth, Texas native joined the Missions as general manager in 1987 before being named team president in 1998. During Yarbrough’s tenure with the organization, the Missions have won six Texas League championships. They also led the Texas League in attendance five times, including a then-Texas League record of 411,989 in 1994, the first season the team played Nelson Wolff Stadium.

“We are extremely grateful for Burl’s leadership of the Missions for nearly four decades,” said Bruce Hill, Chairman of the Board for the San Antonio Missions. “His contributions to this franchise, the city of San Antonio and the game of baseball have been extraordinary and impressive.”

Yarbrough has been named the Bill Valentine Texas League Executive of the Year four times. In 1994, Baseball America gave Yarbrough and the Missions the Bob Freitas Award, which recognizes Minor League Baseball franchises with long-term success and stability. Baseball America also called the Missions their Minor League Team of the Year in 2007, and the Texas League elected Yarbrough to its Hall of Fame in 2016.

“I’m thankful for all the great people that have been part of our staff and helped us make this franchise what it is,” Yarbrough said. “I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished in San Antonio. I think we’ve always given fans a reason to come out, and they’ve had a good time doing it.”

Yarbrough graduated with a bachelor's degree in marketing from the University of Texas-Arlington and a master's degree in sports administration from St. Thomas University in Miami, Fla. His first job in baseball came in Florence, S.C., where Yarbrough quickly became general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays’ Class A baseball team after just one season. Yarbrough spent three years with the South Atlantic League team before moving to San Antonio to join the Missions.

In addition to Missions baseball, Yarbrough also served as president of the San Antonio Iguanas Hockey Club, members of the Central Hockey League, from 1998-2002.

“Minor League Baseball has always been something that I was very interested in, even as a kid going to games and watching the Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs play up there in the Texas League,” Yarbrough said. “For me to get in the business and be in it as long as I have, it’s nothing I could have ever imagined. I can’t think of anything else I would have rather done with my life.”

After helping the Missions move from V.J. Keefe Field on St. Mary's University's campus to Wolff Stadium, Yarbrough will now help guide the team to a new ballpark in downtown San Antonio. As Yarbrough transitions to his new role, David Gasaway will assume day-to-day operations in the Missions’ front office while continuing his role as the club’s general manager.

“I remember moving into Wolff Stadium, all the excitement around it, and how it changed our franchise. I know that’s what the future is going to look like as well,” Yarbrough said. “For us to be able to move into a downtown ballpark, it’s going to set this franchise up to be one of the top franchises in Minor League Baseball for years. For fans in San Antonio, the best is yet to come.”

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The San Antonio Missions are the Double-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The Missions were established in 1888 and have brought affordable family fun to the Alamo City for 123 seasons. The 13-time Texas League champions play their home games at Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium. For more information and tickets, call 210-675-7275 or visit samissions.com.