Dick O'Connell — General Manager

Elected to Red Sox Hall of Fame: 1997

Biography for Dick O'Connell

Born and raised in Winthrop, MA, bordering East Boston, Dick O'Connell began his tenure with the organization in 1949. While his stock rose, eventually leading to a position as an assistant general manager by 1961, the Red Sox suffered season after season, never finishing better than third place through the Fifties and then wallowing in the basement for the better part of the Sixties. By late in the season of 1965, the organization had seen enough; owner Tom Yawkey fired Pinky Higgins and named O'Connell executive vice president and general manager. Yet long before Yawkey made the decision, O'Connell had been hard at work for years developing talented ballplayers at the minor league level. One of his first orders of business was to bring the best prospects into the fold and, for the first time ever, there were a number of minorities wearing a Boston uniform, including George Scott and Reggie Smith, the first sign that the Red Sox organization was finally ready to embrace diversity and recognize that talent stretched across all borders. O'Connell then hired Dick Williams to manage the team to start the 1967 season and, 92 wins later, Boston's "Impossible Dream Team" had won the American League pennant. In turning the ball club around so quickly, Sporting News named O'Connell Executive of the Year and he would continue to manage with the intent of winning it all. In 1975, O'Connell put the right elements together again and the team finished the season under field general Darrell Johnson as American League champions for the second time in eight years, again earning him Executive of the Year honors. However, two years later and despite winning 97 games to finish just 2-1/2 games behind the rival Yankees, he was fired following the 1977 season. Still, the Massachusetts native had helped turn the franchise into pennant contenders that enjoyed 11 winning seasons and three finishes with 90 or more wins under his watch.

Memorable Moments for Dick O'Connell

16 September 1965 - Tired of suffering one losing season after another, Red Sox management fires Pinky Higgins and replaces him with Dick O'Connell.
24 October 1977 - Dick O'Connell, despite bringing baseball back to Boston with three 90-plus win seasons and 11 winning seasons in 12 years at the helm, is fired as general manager.