PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — David Montgomery, the late Phillies president, chairman and part-owner, was posthumously honored with the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown last weekend.
The award is presented once every three years and recognizes someone “whose extraordinary efforts enhanced baseball’s positive impact on society, broadened the game’s appeal, whose character, integrity and dignity are comparable to the qualities of O’Neil,” according to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
“It is as if his life has come full circle as I stand here today to accept this award for him,” Montgomery’s wife, Lyn, said at the ceremony.
He died in 2019 at the age of 72 after a battle with cancer.
David Montgomery, the fifth recipient of this prestigious award, spent nearly a half-century with his hometown Phillies, starting in the ticket office and eventually working his way up to president, where he led the organization through arguably its most successful era in franchise history.
“People would often refer to a special twinkle that David had in his eye when he would talk about his beloved game of baseball and the Phillies,” Lyn Montgomery said. “I have no doubt that twinkle would be particularly bright if he were here today.
“Since his death, I have heard that Phillies employees find themselves living with a ‘WWDD’ mindset — a ‘What Would David Do’ outlook. What a wonderful legacy.”
Several members of the Phillies front office, including managing partner John Middleton — who replaced David Montgomery as the face of management — President Andy MacPhail, and Executive Vice President Dave Buck were in attendance in Cooperstown.