Phillies to honor the late David Montgomery
“I feel so fortunate. I got to spend my entire life working for the team I rooted for my whole life in the city I loved and lived in,” David P. Montgomery often said. A kid who grew up in Philadelphia watching the Phillies at Connie Mack Stadium, Montgomery enjoyed an iconic executive career with his favorite team for nearly five decades.
The Baseball Hall of Fame announced over a year ago that David Montgomery was the fifth recipient of the prestigious Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award. The presentation was scheduled to be held during the Hall of Fame induction weekend in 2020 but was canceled by Covid-19. He will posthumously receive the award during the Hall of Fame’s annual Awards Presentation this July 24. Lyn Montgomery, his widow, will accept the award and then return to Cooperstown to be recognized during the induction ceremonies on September 8.
Montgomery will be honored in pre-game ceremonies on Friday, August 6, at Citizens Bank Park, the first day of this season’s Toyota Alumni Weekend.
Ballplayers climb the ladder from the bottom to reach the top of the sport. Montgomery followed the same path in his Phillies front office career. His pro debut came as a member of the ticket office sales staff in 1971, the year Veterans Stadium opened. From there he became the director of sales, marketing director, executive vice president (1981), chief operating officer (1992), and president and chief executive officer (1997) during which time he acquired an ownership stake in the franchise.
Under his leadership as president and CEO, the Phillies enjoyed one of the longest sustained periods of success in franchise history from 2007-11 – five consecutive National League East titles, two National League pennants and the 2008 World Series championship.
In 2004, the Phillies opened two new ballparks within a couple of months, Bright House Networks Field in Clearwater, Fla., and Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Montgomery spearheaded the construction of both.
Montgomery was also a pillar in Major League Baseball, serving on MLB’s Executive Council, Business and Media Committee, Labor Policy Committee and Competition Committee. He was admired and respected by everyone – other owners, the Commissioner and his staff, players, umpires and the MLBPA. That is rare.
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said, “Nobody says a bad word about David for one reason and that is David never says a bad word about anybody.”
Montgomery was diagnosed with cancer in the summer of 2014. He relinquished his position as the organization’s leader, assuming the role of chairman in January 2015 while undergoing extensive treatment. He didn’t slow down, representing the club at civic functions, spending time in spring training, at Citizens Bank Park, checking in with former colleagues who had retired and attending a wedding in Houston for a son of a friend with the Cleveland Indians. And he danced with the bride.
During spring training of 2018, the large indoor training facility at Carpenter Complex in Clearwater was named the David P. Montgomery Baseball Performance Center during an emotional ceremony that took him by surprise. A fitting tribute.
“I believe that whatever capacity you work for us, you determine the Phillies family,” he said that March morning. “I believe that. As a family member, it’s our responsibility to treat you like family and get to know you the best we can. … The best way to treat fans right is to treat the people you work with right.”
Montgomery passed away on May 8, 2019, at age 72.
The Buck O’Neil Award was established in 2007 to honor an individual whose efforts broadened the game’s appeal and whose character, integrity and dignity is comparable to the late O’Neil, who passed away in 2006 after eight decades of contributions to the game. O’Neil was honored as the first recipient in 2008. Roland Hemond (2011), Joe Garagiola (2014) and Rachel Robinson (2017) are other winners.
The award is presented by the Board of Directors of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at its discretion, though not more frequently than every three years.