Dan Duquette
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Daniel F. Duquette is a former general manager of the Boston Red Sox. He served in this position from 1994 to 2002. He was fired from his general manager post in 2002 when John Henry bought the team from the Yawkey Trust, headed by John Harrington.
As a baseball executive, Dan Duquette successfully oversaw quick turnarounds during his tenure as General Manager of the Montreal Expos and Boston Red Sox, expanding fan interest in both markets to record-breaking levels. As Farm Director of the Expos from 1987 to 1991, Duquette helped build one of the most productive player development operations in the industry. After joining the Red Sox, he rebuilt the scouting staff and farm system from what was one of the least productive in the industry to one that has been the foundation of an elite franchise ever since.
Dan was twice honored as the Major League Baseball Executive of the Year, first by The Sporting News in 1992 with the Expos, and later by the Boston Baseball Writers Association in 1995 with the Red Sox.
A native of Dalton, Massachusetts, he attended Amherst College, where he was a catcher on the varsity baseball team. Duquette got his start in baseball as a scouting assistant with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1981 after a fellow Amherst alumnus, Harry Dalton, the Milwaukee general manager, saw his letter seeking employment in the game. During his seven seasons in Milwaukee, the team drafted future major leaguers Dale Sveum, John Jaha, BJ Surhoff and Gary Sheffield.
In 1988 he became the director of player development for the Montreal Expos. In his three years in that role, the Expos drafted Marquis Grissom, Charles Johnson and Rondell White. Duquette replaced Dave Dombrowski as Expos General Manager on September 19, 1991. After two seasons in Montreal — marked by Duquette's acqusition of elite pitcher Pedro Martínez from the Dodgers for second baseman Delino DeShields, one of the most one-sided trades of the time — Duquette became the General Manager of his hometown Red Sox. Duquette is a life-long Red Sox fan.
Duquette's tenure in Boston was often marked by controversy. His administration was viewed as very in-house and non-media friendly. He continually disputed with former Red Sox manager Jimy Williams over the coaching staff and center fielder Carl Everett. He is noted for his "twilight of his career" speech about Roger Clemens in 1996 when Clemens left as a free agent. Clemens went on to win the Cy Young Award four more times. He was also fairly unpopular among fans; it was not uncommon to hear chants of "Duquette Sucks!" at Red Sox home games. However, Duquette is also noted for several major acquisitions that would ultimately play a part in the team's 2004 championship, including acquiring Martínez in 1997 from Montreal, the trade for pitcher Derek Lowe and catcher Jason Varitek and the free agent signings of Manny Ramirez in 2000 and Johnny Damon in December, 2001.
After being fired in 2002, Duquette started a Sports Academy for children in Hinsdale, Massachusetts. The Academy is described by its website as "a sports training center for boys and girls ages 8-18 who are interested in learning baseball, softball, basketball and life skills from distinguished high school, college and professional coaches." [1]
Duquette is now working to start the Israel Baseball League after being appointed head of player development. Duquettesports.com is advertising tryouts in August and Duquette will likely have a role in player assignment.
Duquette had a role in a Western Massachusetts community theatre production of Damn Yankees, a play about the hated New York Yankees.
Duquette is also the president of the Pittsfield Dukes, a baseball team in the New England Collegiate Baseball League.
His cousin, Jim Duquette, is currently an executive with the Baltimore Orioles, having previously worked for the New York Mets. Dan Duquette was reportedly considered to replace his cousin as Mets General Manager, however, New York-native Omar Minaya got the job instead.
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| Preceded by Dave Dombrowski |
Montreal Expos General Manager 1991 - 1994 |
Succeeded by Kevin Malone |
| Preceded by Lou Gorman |
Boston Red Sox General Manager 1994 - 2002 |
Succeeded by Mike Port (Interim) |
