Bill Giles (baseball)

William Yale Giles (born September 7, 1934 in Rochester, New York) is the honorary National League (NL) President, and chairman emeritus and former part-owner of Major League Baseball (MLB)'s Philadelphia Phillies.[1]

Early career as a baseball executive

Giles' baseball career began in his father's former organization, the Cincinnati Reds, during the 1950s and he was among a group of Reds executives (including former Cincinnati general manager Gabe Paul and MLB executive Tal Smith) who helped to found the Houston Astros when they debuted as the Colt .45s in 1962.[2] Sporting News' 1962 Official Baseball Guide and Record Book, published in the Colt .45s' maiden season, lists Giles as the club's traveling secretary and publicity director.[3] Subsequently, he became promotions director, and focused on that role after the renamed team moved into the Astrodome in 1965.

Philadelphia Phillies

Giles started with the Phillies as the vice president of business operations in 1969. He worked his way up in the organization, with stops as executive vice president and president, before becoming the chairman in 1997.[4] He was succeeded as chairman by David Montgomery and became chairman emeritus in 2015.[5]

Giles was also part of the ownership group that bought the Phillies from the Carpenter family in 1981.[6] The group was composed of Giles, Montgomery, Claire S. Betz, Tri-Play Associates (Alexander K. Buck, J. Mahlon Buck Jr. and William C. Buck), and Double Play Inc. (John S. Middleton).[7] Mahlon Buck died in 2011.[8] Claire S. Betz died in 2014.[9]. The group reportedly purchased the team for $30 million. In March 2015, the team was valued at over one billion dollars.[10]

Around 2012 or 2013, Giles sold his last shares of the Phillies.[1]

National League honorary president

Giles is also honorary president of the National League—the same job his father held on an official full-time basis. One of the honorary president's tasks is to present the Warren C. Giles Trophy, named after his father, to the National League Championship Series winner.[11]

Other duties of the honorary league president include representing the league at the All-Star Game and the postseason.[12]

Honors and awards

In 2001, a new tournament for the Division II baseball teams in the Philadelphia area, the Bill Giles Invitational, was named in his honor.

Personal

Giles is the son of former National League president Warren C. Giles.[6] His wife, Nancy, died on April 12, 2020.[13]

See also

Bibliography
  • Pouring Six Beers at a Time: And Other Stories from a Lifetime in Baseball ISBN 1-57243-931-9

References
  1. Salisbury, Jim (July 14, 2015). "No longer a team owner, Bill Giles still has Phillies opinions". NBC Sports Philadelphia. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  2. Reiss, Stephen A., The Encyclopedia of Major League Clubs, Vol. 1. Westport, CT: The Greenwood Press, 2006, page 165.
  3. Spink, J.G. Taylor, with Kachline, Clifford, and Rickert, Paul, The 1962 Official Baseball Guide and Record Book. St. Louis: Charles C. Spink & Son., 1962, page 6.
  4. Mandel, Ken (April 8, 2003). "Giles and the Vet go hand in hand". MLB.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2008. Retrieved October 23, 2007.
  5. Zolecki, Todd (January 28, 2015). "Montgomery to return to Phillies as chairman". MLB.com. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  6. "Philadelphia Phillies". BaseballLibrary.com. Archived from the original on May 22, 2007. Retrieved October 23, 2007.
  7. "Front Office Directory". PhiladelphiaPhillies.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved October 23, 2007.
  8. "J. Mahlon Buck, 85, co-owner of the Phillies". philly.com. March 18, 2011. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  9. "Claire Smith Betz". legacy.com. The Reporter. February 28, 2014. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  10. "The Phillies are now worth how much?". bizjournals.com. Philadelphia Business Journal. March 25, 2015. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  11. Jensen, Mike (October 16, 2008). "'Fantastic feeling' for Bill Giles". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  12. "Frank Robinson named Senior Advisor and Honorary A.L. President". Major League Baseball.
  13. "Nancy Giles, wife of Bill Giles, dies at 88". mlb.com. MLB Advanced Media. April 13, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2020.

Preceded by
Ruly Carpenter		 Philadelphia Phillies President
1982–1997		 Succeeded by
David Montgomery
Preceded by
Paul Owens		 Philadelphia Phillies General Manager
1984–1987		 Succeeded by
Woody Woodward
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