The Reds Hall of Fame and Museum presented by Dinsmore is proud to announce the release of a commemorative bobblehead of former Reds general manager Gabe Paul. Paul joins Bronson Arroyo and Danny Graves in the Hall of Fame’s 2023 Induction class.
One of the most impactful general managers in Reds history, Gabe Paul’s tenure was marked by decisions that forever altered the trajectory of the franchise. Paul began his Reds career as the club’s publicity director in 1936 and later became the club’s traveling secretary. In 1949, he co-founded the annual Kid Glove Game. Promoted to general manager in 1951, Paul spearheaded the Reds’ aggressive pursuit of African American players. The club’s color barrier was broken with the arrival of Nino Escalera and Chuck Harmon in 1954 and, two years later, Frank Robinson made his debut. The first Red to win National League Rookie of the Year honors, Robinson was a linchpin on the 1956 Reds team that was in contention for the pennant until the last weekend of the season. That club tied the then-Major League record for home runs by a club in a season, and the excitement surrounding it resulted in the Reds’ breaking the 1 million mark in home attendance for the first time in franchise history. Paul was named the Executive of the Year by the Sporting News following the 1956 season. Also at Paul’s behest, the Reds focused on the cultivation of Latino talent. Paul established an affiliation agreement with the Havana Sugar Kings, a relationship that opened a rich pipeline of talent from Cuba that led to the signings of Tony Perez, Leo Cardenas and a host of other notable Latino players. Paul also traded for or signed a host of players who would make major contributions to the Reds including Gus Bell, Jerry Lynch, Jim Maloney, Jim O’Toole, Bob Purkey and Pete Rose, among many others. It was under Paul’s watch that the foundation of the club’s 1961 National League championship club was built and the first two cornerstones of the Big Red Machine, Perez and Rose, were acquired. And it was also during Paul’s time as Reds general manager that the club worked with the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce to establish the Reds Hall of Fame in 1958. Gabe Paul died in 1998 at the age of 88.
The bobblehead, presented by Dinsmore, is free with regular-price paid admission to the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum (or a Great American Ball Park Tour) on Saturdays and Sundays through May, while supplies last. The Gabe Paul bobblehead is one of the many benefits included with Hall of Fame membership. Click below for more information and to purchase a membership.