David Montgomery passes away at 72

David Montgomery, the man who presided over arguably the greatest run of Phillies teams every assembled, has lost his battle with cancer. He was 72 years old.

Montgomery succeeded Bill Giles as Phillies’ president in 1997, leading the team to the such glorious moments such as signing Jim Thome as a free agent, opening the grass infield, open air Citizens Bank Park to the masses prior to the 2004 season and of course, winning the World Series in 2008. In the spring of 2018, the team renamed their spring training indoor training facility for him, honoring his commitment to the team. His battle with cancer began in 2014, when he was first diagnosed, leading him to take a leave from his responsibilities with the team. He returned a few months later, but he wasn’t able to continue with the same vigor as before, eventually ceding full-time duties to the Pat Gillick.

His baseball accomplishments are many, but his humanitarian efforts are just as, if not moreso, important to the Philadelphia community. Due to his efforts to promote the game within the city that he loved, in return, a field was named in his honor as well, the very field where he came to love the game of baseball. It was something that was well deserved.

We here at The Good Phight send out our thoughts and condolences to the Montgomery family. As difficult as it is now, hopefully they can take some solace knowing that his life touched so, so many other lives in a profound way.

He will be missed.