Thursday, 21 November 2024

Ed Barrow

Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Contributors 2024
Embed from Getty Images
Sport(s): Baseball Executive
Statistics: 11 World Series Championships (1918, 1923, 1927, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941 & 1943)
2 The Sporting News Executive of the Year Awards (1937 & 1941)
Member of the Baseball Hall of Fame
Barrow was the Detroit Tigers manager for a year-and-a-half in the early 1900s, where he left on his accord due to disagreements with ownership. He stayed in baseball, procuring minor league teams before becoming the president of the International League, which he did until he accepted the Red Sox offer to manage the team in 1918.

Boston was an American League power, and Barrow kept them that way, winning the World Series that year. During the season, Barrow converted Ruth from pitcher to outfielder, enabling him to bat more often. The Red Sox sold off most of their assets, including Ruth, who would become the face of the Yankees and the sport. If Yankee Stadium was the "House that Ruth built," then Ruth was the "House that Barrow transformed."

An obviously frustrated Barrow jumped at Yankees’ owner, Jacob Ruppert’s offer to be an executive for his team. Barrow then assembled the team that would become the most dominant franchise in baseball. With a keen eye for talent and developing a farm system, stars were replaced by stars. Barrow also made the game more fan-friendly, becoming the first executive to let fans keep foul balls. Players became more recognizable as he added uniform numbers to their uniforms.

Barrow retired as the team president in 1946, overseeing ten World Series titles.

We are proud to nominate Ed Barrow for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.

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