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Neil T. Mahoney

If Confueius was a member of the' Boston Red Sox organization, the Chinese wizard would have had a saying about Neil T. Mahoney: Man in a hurry should not walk with most popular man in baseball. The statement is not an exaggerated one. Where Neil strolled, people flocked around him like bees after honey. They stopped him to shake his hand. They exchanged stories. They laughed. If the length of the funeral procession is the true measure of a man's popularity, then Neil was among baseball's dearly cherished. He was an outstanding catcher for Northeastern in the late 1920's, and captain of the 1929 team. He graduated as a Business major in 1929 and moonlighted in the so-called "outlaw" baseball leagues: the . old New England League, the Northern League and the Cape Cod . League. He caught some outstanding pitchers and played on many a championship team. ~· .... The semi-pro leagues he played in were popular leagues, so when

Neil fina:)..ly 1became a scout for the Red Sox in 1939, it wasn't without '.' ' . ta~ing a cut in salary. Neil was a great judge in talent . . As a scout, he signed up ·sucfi · ear-ringing·names as Jim Piersall, Walt Dropo, Wilbur Wood and the present vice-president Haywood Sullivan. During World War II he coached basketball and baseball at Bowdoin

College and ~eturned to the Red Sox immediately after the war.

After acting as the Red Sox Eastern supervisor ?! scouts thr~ugh .· ' the 50's, Neil became director of all s~outing activities in 1960,

~nd di~ector of the entire Red Sox farm system. l -more- . , .I ' l . I

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He was a king at practical joking, but a sincere and respected

man. His heart was always with his friends until it gave out in May

of 1973. President Knowles, may I present Mrs. Neil (Catherine) Mahoney

who will accept the award for her late husband.

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