Jim is the chairman and chief executive officer of Crane Capital Group of Houston, Texas. He is also the owner and chairman of the Houston Astros.

Crane grew up in the St. Louis suburb of Dellwood and attended Lutheran North High School, graduating in 1972. He as a pitcher on the Lutheran North baseball team. In 2004, Crane donated money to Lutheran North to improve the athletic facilities and enlarge the size of the campus from 40 acres to 67 acres. The James R. Crane Athletic Complex continues to be a great blessing for Lutheran North.

Crane was an outstanding pitcher for Central Missouri State University, and still holds the record for strikeouts and complete games. In 1974, Central Missouri advanced to the NCAA Division II World Series for the first time, and Crane was the starting pitcher in the opening game. He struck out the first 11 batters of the game and finished with 18 strikeouts, a record that still stands. Central Missouri won the game by the score of 2-0.

In 1998, Crane donated money for the upgrade of Central Missouri’s baseball stadium, which was then named James R. Crane Stadium. He continues to support his alma mater, which is now named the University of Central Missouri.

In 2011, Crane became the owner of the Houston Astros, who have enjoyed tremendous success since then. He greatly improved the minor league system. The Astros won the World Series in 2017. They won the American League pennant in 2020. Crane started a baseball tournament in Houston for NCAA Division II schools. The tournament is held every year at the Astros’ Minute Maid Park.