Dick Walsh (executive)
Dick Walsh | |
---|---|
Born | South Bend, Indiana, U.S. | October 30, 1925
Died | May 6, 2011 Fullerton, California, U.S. | (aged 85)
Occupation(s) | Baseball executive Commissioner, North American Soccer League Convention center executive |
Years active | 1948–2005 |
Richard Bishop Walsh Jr. (October 30, 1925 – May 6, 2011)
Early baseball career with the Dodgers
Walsh's first career was in
When the Dodgers acquired the Los Angeles franchise of the Pacific Coast League in February 1957 — the precursor of the Brooklyn club's historic shift to the West Coast, which would follow at the close of the 1957 season — Walsh, as an Angeleno, became president of the minor league team and a liaison between the Dodgers and the city of Los Angeles. Then, after the Brooklyn club moved West in 1958, Walsh became assistant general manager of the Dodgers. He focused on the team's efforts to build a ballpark in Chavez Ravine, and when Dodger Stadium opened as a state-of-the-art facility in 1962, Walsh was named director of stadium operations.
Soccer commissioner, then Angel GM
After 18 years with the Dodgers, he was chosen to serve as commissioner of first the United Soccer Association (USA) in 1966, then the North American Soccer League (NASL), which resulted from the merger of the USA and the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) in 1968. He served the NASL through its first full season, 1968, then returned to baseball.
In October
Walsh then faced another test after the 1969 season began, when the Angels lost 28 of their first 39 games. Walsh fired Bill Rigney, the only manager in the club's Major League history to that point, and replaced him with Lefty Phillips, who had just joined the Angel front office after a long career as a scout and pitching coach with the Dodgers.
The Phillips hiring pulled the Angels out of their tailspin and they finished third that season in the
The 1971 season began with the Angels considered probable AL West contenders. But Johnson and Phillips clashed over the outfielder's on-field behavior, resulting in multiple team suspensions. Johnson was handed a season-ending ban on June 26 (which he contested in court); his year ended after only 65 games and saw his average decline almost 70 points, with two home runs. Conigliaro played in only 74 games and was batting .222 with four home runs when he announced his retirement on July 11. The 26-year-old had battled vision problems since he was seriously beaned in an August 18, 1967, game—ironically, against the Angels. The 1971 Angels fell below .500 in mid-May, then finished ten games and two notches below Tallis' three-year-old Royals. Walsh was fired on October 20, 1971 despite four years remaining on his seven‐year contract.[2] Harry Dalton succeeded him one week later on October 27.[3]
Convention center director
The firing ended Walsh's baseball career. In 1974, he became executive director of the
During this phase of his career, Walsh earned a master's degree in public administration from
Walsh died of natural causes on May 6, 2011, at the age of 85.[6]
See also
- Baseball America Executive Database.
- San Bernardino Business Press, Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, December 13, 2004.
References
- ^ "Richard Walsh - Obituary". obits.ocregister.com.
- ^ "Angels Dismiss Walsh As General Manager," The Associated Press (AP), Wednesday, October 20, 1971. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
- ^ Becker, Bill. "Dalton Is Hired to Rebuild Angels," The New York Times, Thursday, October 28, 1971. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
- ^ "Annual report" (PDF). ctd.lacity.org. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-02-10. Retrieved 2020-10-08.
- ^ "Profile: Dick Walsh, Executive Director of the Ontario Convention Center; Former California Angels Executive VP and GM / December 2004". Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2015-07-08.
- ^ "Dick Walsh - May 6, 2011 - Obituary - Tributes.com". www.tributes.com.