June 24, 2024
Howard Smith/USA TODAY Sports
Phillies president David Montgomery gives shortstop Jimmy Rollins his 2009 NL Pennant ring during a pre-game ceremony in April 2010.
The Phillies will honor their former president and CEO David Montgomery with a posthumous induction onto the team's Wall of Fame on Saturday, August 17 as part of the club's annual Alumni Weekend.
Montgomery, a Philadelphia native who started as a ticket salesman for the Phillies when they moved into Veterans Stadium in the early 1970s then climbed the ranks through the decades to the top of the organization, oversaw the team's move into Citizens Bank Park in 2004 and then it's proceeding golden era from 2007-2011, when the Phillies won five straight division titles, back-to-back NL pennants, and the 2008 World Series championship.
In 2014 and 2015, Montgomery had to take a leave of absence and then a step back from his role following a cancer diagnosis, which he passed away from in 2019 after a five-year battle – a loss still felt throughout the organization.
“As we commemorate the 20th anniversary of Citizens Bank Park, it is the perfect time to continue our celebration of the 2007-2011 teams who established Red October as one of the best experiences in all of sports,” Phillies owner John Middleton said in a statement. “No person deserves to be this year’s honoree more than David Montgomery who led the effort to design and build our ballpark and presided over one of the best eras in Phillies baseball. This will be a very special tribute for our fans and Phillies family, as David becomes the 48th inductee of the Toyota Wall of Fame.”
Montgomery was also honored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame posthumously in 2020 with the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award, which is presented to those whose extraordinary efforts bettered the game of baseball and the communities it's played in.
The latter meant just as much to Montgomery, because as he always used to say: "We are the Phillies, but our first name is Philadelphia."
David Montgomery, former team president and chief executive officer, will now have a permanent place in Phillies history.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 24, 2024
On Saturday, August 17, Montgomery will be posthumously inducted into the Toyota Phillies Wall of Fame at Citizens Bank Park during Phillies Alumni Weekend.… pic.twitter.com/qdhf9GFjkJ
“David Montgomery was one of those rare men with a brilliant baseball mind, who truly cared about his players and the people he worked alongside,” former Phillies power hitter Jim Thome said in a statement. “He loved the City of Philadelphia, and his name is synonymous with the Phillies. I’m thrilled to hear that his impact on the club and his contributions to Citizens Bank Park are being immortalized on the Wall of Fame. Our family can’t wait to celebrate with Lyn and the Montgomery family in August.”
The induction ceremony on the 17th will be held at 6:05 p.m. prior to the Phillies' game against the Washington Nationals, with a wealth of franchise alumni set to be in attendance.
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