David Montgomery (baseball)
| David Montgomery | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
June 26, 1946 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Nationality | United States |
| Occupation | Baseball executive |
| Known for | President and CEO of the Philadelphia Phillies |
David Montgomery (born June 26, 1946) is the part-owner, general partner, president, and chief executive officer of the Philadelphia Phillies.[1]
Early life and education
As a child, Montgomery attended Phillies games at Connie Mack Stadium. Before attending college, Montgomery worked as a paper delivery boy and a high school baseball coach.[2] Montgomery is a 1964 alumnus of the William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia[3] and as an undergraduate attended the University of Pennsylvania where he was first a liberal arts major,[2] and then a history major.[4] Montgomery was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity while an undergraduate. Montgomery continued to attend Phillies games as a college student with future governor Ed Rendell, where he recalled "[trying] to eat all the food that $5 could buy... as they shared their thoughts with the players".[4] He also attended the Wharton Business School as a graduate student, graduating in 1970.[5] During his tenure at Wharton, he also coached the linemen for the varsity football team at Germantown Academy.[4]
Baseball career
After interviewing for positions with the Scott Paper Company and Quaker Oats and being encouraged by Rendell to apply for a job with the Philadelphia 76ers, Montgomery reached out to former Phillies ace Robin Roberts, whose son he coached at Germantown, about a job with the baseball club.[4] Montgomery was hired as a member of the Phillies' sales department in 1971,[5] becoming director of sales and marketing in the mid-1970s and the head of the business department by 1980.[4] During the early 1970s, he was also the team's scoreboard operator.[4]
Montgomery, along with co-owner Bill Giles, purchased the team in 1981 for $30,000,000 ($77,000,000 today);[6] Giles, the primary owner, named Montgomery the executive vice president of the team.[4] In 1997, when Giles left the team presidency to become the chairman and focus on winning a new stadium for the team,[7] he recommended Montgomery to replace him as team president.[4] In so doing, Montgomery became the first native of Philadelphia to run the club in over 60 years.[8] One of his focuses with the team has been brand development, evidenced by the team's commitment to signing successful players to long-term contracts prior to the opening of Citizens Bank Park in 2004.[4][5]
Outside baseball
Montgomery has been a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania, served community action groups, and been a member of Major League Baseball Enterprise's board of directors.[2]
References
- ↑ "Front Office". Philadelphia Phillies. Retrieved August 19, 2008.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Silverman, Rachel (October 2, 2002). "Phillies CEO gives life lesson". The Daily Pennsylvanian. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
- ↑ "David Montgomery". Bloomberg Link. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 Kepner, Tyler (October 22, 2008). "Phillies’ President Took Path From Upper Deck to the Owner’s Box". The New York Times. p. B12. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Capece, David; Berneman, Dana (February 17, 2003). "Batting practice in Huntsman: David Montgomery WG'70". The Wharton Journal. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
- ↑ Ozanian, Michael K., ed (April 7, 2005). "MLB Team Valuations 2005". Forbes. Retrieved August 19, 2008.
- ↑ Jordan, David M. (2002). Occasional glory: the history of the Philadelphia Phillies. McFarland. p. 245. ISBN 0-7864-1260-7.
- ↑ Westcott, Rich (2010). Philadelphia Phillies Past & Present. MBI Publishing Company. p. 36. ISBN 0-7603-3784-5.
External links
| |||||
| Current Major League Baseball presidents | ||
|---|---|---|
| American League | ||
| East Division
Vacant (Baltimore Orioles) |
Central Division
Jerry Reinsdorf (Chicago White Sox) |
West Division
Reid Ryan (Houston Astros) |
| National League | ||
| East Division
John Schuerholz (Atlanta Braves) |
Central Division
Theo Epstein (Chicago Cubs) |
West Division
Derrick Hall (Arizona Diamondbacks) |