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Just in time for his 92nd birthday, Roland Hemond, legendary Major League executive and scout, has been inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. Hemond, a native of Central Falls, is a product of that great Rhode Island baseball tradition called the Tim O’Neil Leagues, a comprehensive, age-graded, system of baseball leagues, devised
Charles “Charlie” Butler was a pioneer in integrated amateur baseball in Rhode Island. Butler was born in Providence on June 11, 1926, the second to last of six children of Clarence A. and Sarah L. (nee Morris) Butler. His parents raised the Butler siblings in what was then known as the West Elmwood section of
Michael T. “Mike” Roarke (1930-2019) was born on November 8, 1930 to Walter J. and Mary T. (nee Riley) Roarke in West Warwick, Rhode Island where he was raised through his high school years. Vice President of the West Warwick High School Class of 1948, Mike was a schoolboy star in baseball and football in
The Cooney family of Cranston was Rhode Island’s first family of baseball and the first family inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. Father James Cooney was born in Cranston on July 9, 1865 and sons Henry (b. 1892), Frank (b. 1893), James E. (Jimmy Jr. – b. August 24, 1894) and John
The genial and dedicated man who was to be crowned “The King of the Sandlots” was born in South Providence on December 14, 1878 along with his twin brother Edward. Their parents were Edward and Ann (Lynch). Tim was an enterprising paperboy in his youth, but received little formal schooling. Fortunately he was a proficient baseball player and
Frank Frisch was born to German parents in Bronx, New York on September 9, 1898. He was a collegiate sports superstar, playing for Fordham University’s baseball, basketball, football and track teams. Nicknamed the “Fordham Flash,” Frisch would not finish his undergraduate career at Fordham. Instead, he contracted with the New York Giants in 1919. The
Bernard Thomas “Slick” Pina, 1930-2013, was the oldest and most accomplished of three brothers from South Providence who dominated the local sports scene in the 1950s. Slick’s brother Tommy followed him as a two-time all-state halfback at LaSalle Academy. Joe, who did not attend high school or college, compiled a remarkable record as an amateur
John Anthony “Jack” Flynn (1883-1935), the legendary coach of baseball at Providence College, will be inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame tomorrow. Participating in the ceremony on behalf of Providence College, which dropped baseball in 1999, is Bob Bellemore, a Friar baseball and hockey great, and my former teammate. Jack Flynn was
Chester R. “Chet” Nichols spent nine years as a major league pitcher. As a rookie with the Boston Braves, he led the National League in 1951 with the lowest earned run average. Chet was a schoolboy pitching star and all-state selection at Pawtucket East High School. He was signed as a young left-hander with the Braves in
John P. Cronin served as Director of Recreation for the City of Providence for many years. He also made major contributions to many other Rhode Island youth programs, serving as a baseball, football, and hockey coach at La Salle Academy for 45 years.
“Gabby” Hartnett, 1900-1972, was one of the first three Rhode Island-born men to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Mr. Hartnett, born in Woonsocket, was the oldest of fourteen children. He grew up in the nearby small town of Millville, Massachusetts, where he played baseball in the Blackstone Valley League. He was one
George R. “Birdie” Tebbetts, 1912″1999: Raised in New Hampshire, “Birdie” Tebbetts was a precocious, intelligent, and athletic youngster who served as the team mascot for the “Nashua Millionaires,” an independent semi-professional team owned by the future New Hampshire Governor, Francis Parnell Murphy. Murphy encouraged young Tebbetts to aim high. Tebbetts did just that, becoming an
The late Elizabeth “Lizzie” Murphy, 1894-1964, a native of Warren, was an outstanding athlete who was the first woman ever to play in Major League Baseball competition, and who starred for more than thirty years for otherwise all-male professional, semi-professional, and amateur baseball teams throughout New England and other Eastern states. She has been cited
James Lou Gorman, 1929-2011, a native of Providence, was a highly respected major League Baseball executive, and Senior Vice President and General Manger of the Boston Red Sox who was honored with two Major League Baseball “Executive of the Year” awards, and was a former standout athlete at LaSalle Academy in Rhode Island and Stonehill
John Montgomery “Monte” Ward, 1860-1925, a member of baseball’s Hall of Fame, was a native of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania who attended Pennsylvania State College before embarking upon a career as a professional ballplayer. He reached the major leagues in 1878 as a pitcher for the Providence Grays of the National League, just two years after the
Alfred “Smokey” Cerrone was a highly successful businessman, athlete, musician, innovator, and public-minded citizen who developed one of the world’s largest automobile agencies. He was instrumental in numerous charitable fund-raising ventures including with the Lincoln-Cumberland Boys Club and St. Joseph’s Pine Harbor School for children with special needs. He has given his personal support to hundreds
George Pulliam, 1923-1956, is regarded by some as Rhode Island’s greatest all-around schoolboy athlete. At Cranston High, he won All-State honors twice in football and hockey and once in baseball, where he played at every position but catcher. For his extraordinary efforts he was nicknamed “The Cranston Crusher.” He was the fullback and star of
Michael Pappas was an Executive Vice President for the Pawtucket Boys & Girls Club, for which he served in various capacities for more than forty years. He was also a sportscaster for several RI radio stations, a prominent public relations advocate for many area sports events, and a public address announcer for professional hockey and
Paul Hines (1855-1935) was born in Virginia and died in Maryland, but no player was more associated with the Providence Grays during that team’s major league heyday. Hines played in 1659 games in three leagues from 1872 through 1891, made 2,135 hits, batted over .300 eleven times, and posted a career average of .302. He
Clem Labine, 1926-2007, was a three-time National League All-Star who was inducted into the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Fame in 1986. He was regarded as baseball’s best relief pitcher in the 1950’s. A native of Woonsocket, Labine played in six World Series and on three World Championship Teams, before retiring in 1963. He was named
David E. Lopes was a stand-out second baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers, played in four World Series, and was a four-time National League All-Star during his sixteen year Major League career. Born in East Providence, Lopes grew up in South Providence and payed in the Fox Point Little League and became one of LaSalle
Hugh Duffy, 1866-1954, from Cranston, was one of major league baseball’s greatest hitters and is still the holder of the single-season batting average record of .438, set in 1894, when Duffy was an outfielder for Boston in the National League. In seventeen major league seasons from 1888 through 1906, Duffy compiled a lifetime average of
Albert Henry “Hank” Soar, 1914-2001, was one of Rhode Island’s most talented athletes. After starring at the old Pawtucket High School (now Tolman)and Providence College in football and baseball, Soar played in the National Football League as an all-purpose back for the New York Giants for nine seasons from 1937 through 1946. After his playing
Joseph Gomes was the only Rhode Islander to play baseball in the Negro Major Baseball League, and was named an all-star in each of the seven years he played. He compiled a 362-41 pitching record, with a 1.74 earned-run-average in the Majors. He was an extraordinary athlete as a Rhode Island schoolboy all-stater in baseball,
Charles G. Radbourn, 1854-1897, born in Rochester, New York, “Old Hoss” played baseball for Providence, Boston, and Cincinnati in the National League from 1881 through 1891. He is regarded as the greatest pitcher of the 19th century with 308 wins and 191 losses in 12 years of competition. In 1884, he pitched the Providence Grays
David R. Stenhouse’s well-rounded career includes playing high school, college, and professional sports; college coaching; business; fundraising; and community service. For his athletic attainments, he has been inducted into the University of Rhode Island and the Rhode Island College Halls of Fame. A native of Westerly, Dave was a star athlete at Westerly High School
Napoleon Lajoie, second baseman who played for Philadelphia and Cleveland in the National League from 1896 through 1916 and was Cleveland’s player-manager for five years (1905-1909). Called “The Big Frenchman”, the Woonsocket-born Lajoie compiled a lifetime batting average of .339 and he led his league in batting three times. His .422 average in 1901 is
John E. Moran, 1913-1997, served as President and Co-founder of McLaughin & Moran Distributors, which was a recognized leader in its’ field for over fifty years. An outstanding all-state athlete out of LaSalle Academy, he starred for Manhattan College in football and baseball. For the next fifty years, with time out for U.S. Naval service,
Randall C. (“Randy”) Hien, 1949-2006, became legendary in Rhode Island for his remarkable accomplishments in two fields. As one of the most successful baseball coaches in the state, he devoted himself tirelessly to Rhode Island youth sports for thirty years. During that time, he transformed his beloved Lincoln Little League All-Stars into a nationally-competitive powerhouse, winning an
William F. Farley, of Pawtucket, now of Chicago, is businessman who was was chairman and CEO of Fruit of the Loom the highly successful international manufacturer and distributor of basic family apparel for fifteen years (1985-1999). Farley acquired Fruit of the Loom in 1986. Under Farley’s leadership, sales exceeded $2 billion. He has received the
Bernard Mondor, 1925-2010, was a Canadian-born business man who became one of R.I.’s most outstanding sports promoters as owner of the Pawtucket Red Sox Baseball Team, which was recognized as the strongest franchise in the International League. He entered the business world after service in the Navy, acquiring seven corporations with sales over $13 million.
Fred Benson devoted eight decades to Block Island, R.I., serving as police commissioner, fireman, and president of the chamber of commerce. Islanders continue to revel in sharing their cherished memories of the legendary jack-of-all trades for whom the town’s beach pavilion is named. Born in Boston on April 14, 1895, Benson was the son of
Normally sportscasters ” with such notable excep- tions of Chris Schenkel and Chris Clark ” do not gain accep- tance to the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame, but if one is a sportscaster for seven decades, the voice of the Rhode Island Reds for a quarter-century, the longtime coach of youth sports in his
Michael A. Tamburro, was born in Worcester, Massachusetts on February 13, 1952, the son of Michael and Josephine Tamburro. Mike pursued a double major (Business and Journalism) at U. Mass Amherst with the goal of becoming a baseball statistician. Instead, at 23 years of age, he became the youngest general manager in professional baseball when
Frank Maznicki, 1920-2013, was a former all-sports star at Westerly High School who gained football fame with the Boston College Eagles and the Chicago Bears. He became highly successful as a high school football and baseball coach.
William Walden, 1907-1987, a native of Providence, was a pioneer Rhode Island radio and television sportscaster. He was also a former athlete who served for twenty years as secretary of the Tim O’Neil amateur baseball league. He was the former News Director of WJAR-TV, and a native of Providence. Walden was actively involved with many
The late Walter F. Jusczvk formerly of Warwick, was a successful dentist in West Warwick for many years, a Hall of Fame athlete, and Providence Journal Honor Roll Boy in 1937, was a record-setting pitcher at Brown. He went on to play baseball professionally and was a longtime member of the RI Heritage Hall of
Wilma Briggs was born in East Greenwich on November 6, 1930. One of 11 children, she grew up on a farm in the Frenchtown section of town. Her father, Fred Briggs, was a semi-professional baseball player and coach. As a young girl, after performing daily farm chores, Wilma typically joined her father and brothers in highly- competitive
Andrew James “Andy” Coakley was born in the predominantly Irish South Providence neighborhood of the City of Providence on November 20, 1882, the son of Irish immigrants. As a teenager he became a star sandlot pitcher for the St. Michael’s parish team then coached by “the King of the Sandlots,” the legendary Tim O’ Neil. After playing at