Roy Hofheinz

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Roy Mark Hofheinz (April 10, 1912–November 22, 1982), popularly known as Judge Hofheinz, was mayor of the city of Houston, Texas from 1953 to 1955. He was also the county judge of Harris County, Texas. He was part of the group that brought a Major League Baseball franchise (which became the Houston Astros) to Houston, as well as built the Astrodome sports stadium and the Astroworld amusement park.

Because Hofheinz was the first baseball team owner to put his team in a domed stadium and the first to use artificial turf, it has been suggested that "the baseball gods" placed a curse on the team. The Curse of Judge Hofheinz prevented the team from winning a National League pennant from their 1962 debut until 2005, despite losses in the National League Championship Series in 1980, 1986 and 2004, and losses in the National League Division Series in 1981, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001. With the 2005 World Series about to be played, it remains to be seen whether the curse applies only to the pennant or prevents the team from winning the World Series.