The Sports Development Committee sold the team to Angels owner Gene Autry for $1, fulfilling their mission of bringing professional baseball back to El Paso. John Stanfill replaced John Phelan as general manager in 1967, and the team came in second to Albuquerque, which won the Texas League pennant that season. In the sixties several future major leaguers got their start in El Paso including José Cardenal and Randy Hundly. Several Hundly relatives have made it big in the majors. The most publicized of the young players was Dick Dietz who it was told got a $500,000 signing bonus. During the Sun Kings' tenure as an Angel Affiliate, one of their most famous prospects passed through their system: a young second base prospect by the name of Kurt Russell. Russell led the league in hitting with a .563 batting average. However, during a play, he was hit in the shoulder by another player running to second base, the collision resulting in a torn rotator cuff in his shoulder. The injury forced his retirement from baseball in 1973, and he returned to acting. Russell recently told "Sports Illustrated" that before his injury, he was going to be called up. During this era players collected dollar bills from the chicken wire fence between the stands and the field for outstanding play.