John L. Rankin

With his bright red coat signaling a banner sale, John L. Rankin presided over offshore lease sales for more than 25 years. He guided the leasing program from its infancy to its position as a widely-respected model for minerals management and conservatino of our energy resources. The "Red Jacket" tradition is now a standard among Rankin's successors. In 1982, when the Minerals Management Service was created by combining the offshore leasing, operational, and stewardship functions of the Bureau of Land Management and Conservation Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, Rankin was selected as the first Director of the Gulf of Mexico Region. He held that position along with the moniker "Mr. OCS" until he retired in 1985.