Lee MacPhail grew up watching his father become a Hall of Fame executive in Major League Baseball. He wanted to do the same, despite his father’s warnings against it. “Since my dad (Larry MacPhail) was in baseball, I grew up in the game and it never occurred to me I wouldn’t be going into it after college,” he said. Born on Oct. 25, 1917, MacPhail began his career as an executive in 1941 as business manager for the minor league team in Reading, Pa.
Lee MacPhail
Executive
Class of
1998
Lee MacPhail
Executive
Class of
1998
Lee MacPhail followed his his father's footsteps as a Hall of Fame executive.
Primary Team Or Role
Birth year
About Lee MacPhail
The Basics
Birth Year
1917
Died
2012, Delray Beach Florida
Career at a Glance
Related Hall of Famers
Larry MacPhail
Executive
Class of
1978
Larry MacPhail
Executive
Class of
1978
Larry MacPhail oversaw major changes to the game, notably MLB’s first night game and pension plans for players.
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Birth year
About Larry MacPhail
One of the great innovators in baseball history, Larry MacPhail introduced such standards as night baseball, airplane travel, pension plans and batting helmets. He was also a flamboyant-yet-brilliant executive who significantly improved the fortunes of three separate major league franchises.
The Basics
Birth Year
1890
Died
1975, Miami Florida
Career at a Glance
Larry MacPhail Stories
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Pat Gillick
Executive
Class of
2011
Pat Gillick
Executive
Class of
2011
An executive with exceptional memory, Pat Gillick built playoff teams for four different franchises.
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Birth year
About Pat Gillick
Pat Gillick built it – again and again and again.
And at every stop, they came: Victories, fans and championships.
Gillick, who spent 27 years as a general manager in the big leagues, was born Aug. 22, 1937, in Chico, Calif. The son of minor league pitcher Larry Gillick and actress Thelma Daniels, Gillick began his baseball career as a left-handed pitcher. He was a member of the University of Southern California team that won the College World Series in 1958, and he pitched for five seasons in the Orioles’ minor league system.
The Basics
Birth Year
1937
Career at a Glance
Pat Gillick Stories
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Tom Yawkey
Executive
Class of
1980
Tom Yawkey
Executive
Class of
1980
Tom Yawkey bought the Red Sox when they were a struggling club and elevated them to contenders by investing in future Hall of Famers.
Primary Team Or Role
Birth year
About Tom Yawkey
On his 30th birthday, Tom Yawkey came into a multimillion dollar inheritance left by his late uncle. Four days later, at the advice of Hall of Famer Eddie Collins, Yawkey bought the struggling Boston Red Sox franchise.
Over the next four-plus decades, Yawkey would become as synonymous with his franchise as perhaps any owner in baseball history. Along the way, Yawkey elevated his club from cellar dwellers to perennial contenders.
The Basics
Birth Year
1903
Died
1976, Boston Massachusetts
Career at a Glance
Tom Yawkey Stories
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Kaline, Snider, Klein, Yawkey are Inducted as Class of 1980
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Sol White
Executive
Class of
2006
Sol White
Executive
Class of
2006
A talented player-manager, Sol White organized the Philadelphia Giants, who dominated play in the early years of the 20th century.
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Birth year
About Sol White
“Some day the bar will drop and some good man will be chosen from out of the colored profession that will be a credit to all, and pave the way for others to follow.” – Sol White
Sol White was 78 years old in 1947 when Jackie Robinson shattered the major league color barrier. It marked the completion of a journey that White helped start in the 19th century.
The Basics
Birth Year
1868
Died
1955, Central Islip New York
Career at a Glance
Sol White Stories
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J.L. Wilkinson
Executive
Class of
2006
J.L. Wilkinson
Executive
Class of
2006
As owner of the Kansas City Monarchs, J.L. Wilkinson oversaw teams that won 11 Negro League pennants and World Series.
Primary Team Or Role
Birth year
About J.L. Wilkinson
J.L. Wilkinson was the principal owner of the Kansas City Monarchs from 1920-48, one of the most dominant Negro Leagues teams ever assembled.
The Monarchs ruled two separate leagues in two separate time periods. A charter member of the Negro National League in 1920, the team won the NLL pennant four times in the 1920s. Then, as a charter member of the Negro American League, the Monarchs finished first seven times in the 1930s and 40s.
The Basics
Birth Year
1878
Died
1964, Kansas City Missouri
Career at a Glance
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Effa Manley
Executive
Class of
2006
Effa Manley
Executive
Class of
2006
Effa Manley was a civil rights leader and the first female Hall of Famer.
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Birth year
About Effa Manley
As a businesswoman in a primarily man’s world, Effa Manley wanted to be a winner. Though the only woman among an industry of male owners, Manley got her wish in 1946, when the Newark Eagles, owned by her and her husband Abe, won the Negro League World Series, defeating the Kansas City Monarchs.
Her career is a testament to her commitment to baseball and civil rights – and to her vision and dedication to creating respect for Negro Leagues baseball.
The Basics
Birth Year
1897
Died
1981, Los Angeles California
Career at a Glance
Effa Manley Stories
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Harry Wright
Executive
Class of
1953
Harry Wright
Executive
Class of
1953
Referred to as the “father of professional base ball playing,” Harry Wright was the first manager to win four straight pennants, with the Boston of the National Association from 1872-75.
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Birth year
About Harry Wright
Hall of Famer Henry Chadwick once wrote: “There is no doubt that Harry Wright is the father of professional base ball playing.”
Wright, who was born in England and raised as a cricket player, warrants credit for founding the first all-professional baseball team and serving as a major pioneer for the exponential growth of baseball during the 19th century.
The Basics
Birth Year
1835
Died
1895, Atlantic City New Jersey
Career at a Glance
Played For
Boston Red Stockings, 1871-1875
Boston Red Stockings, 1876-1877
Harry Wright Stories
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George Wright
Executive
Class of
1937
George Wright
Executive
Class of
1937
George Wright was the star shortstop of baseball’s first openly professional team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings,.
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Birth year
About George Wright
George Wright was baseball’s first superstar player – an extraordinary shortstop who excelled for the game’s first openly all-professional team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings.
Born Jan. 28, 1847 in New York City, Wright belonged to one of the city’s preeminent sporting families. His father, Samuel, was a top professional at Harlem’s St. George Cricket Club who sought to make cricket as popular in America as it was in his native England.
The Basics
Birth Year
1847
Died
1937, Boston Massachusetts
Career at a Glance
Played For
Boston Red Stockings, 1871-1875
Boston Red Stockings, 1876-1878
Providence Grays, 1879
Boston Red Stockings, 1880-1881
Providence Grays, 1882
George Wright Stories
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George Weiss
Executive
Class of
1971
George Weiss
Executive
Class of
1971
George Weiss' teams captured 19 American League pennants and 15 World Series titles from 1932-1960.
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Birth year
About George Weiss
The New York Yankees are the only team in history to win more than three World Series championships in a row – and the Yankees did it twice, with four in a row from 1936-39 and five more from 1949-53.
George Weiss was a driving force behind both.
Born June 23, 1894, in New Haven, Conn., and a product of Yale University, Weiss got into baseball in 1914 with a semipro team in his hometown that played exhibitions against big league teams, luring the likes of Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth to his small ballpark.
The Basics
Birth Year
1895
Died
1972, Greenwich Connecticut
Career at a Glance
George Weiss Stories
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