Ben Mondor Biography

October 4, 2010

In 1977, after having retired from the corporate business world, Ben Mondor acquired the "Rhode Island" Red Sox, the Triple-A International League affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, by the National Association of Professional Baseball. The organization was bankrupt and had been deprived of its membership in professional baseball.

During the next 34 years, Ben Mondor has turned what was once one of the worst franchises in minor league baseball into one of the most successful in all of baseball. Under Mondor's leadership the PawSox have gone from drawing 70,000 fans in 1977 to well over 600,000 fans in each of the past six seasons (an attendance increase of nearly ten times since that first year).

Ben's historic career was captured for eternity on July 20, 2008 when he was officially inducted in the International League Hall of Fame as part of the first class welcomed to the IL Hall of Fame since 1964.

The PawSox had a banner year in 2008 as the club set a franchise-record for victories in a season (going 85-58), made the playoffs for the first time in five years, sent 18 players to Boston to help the Red Sox return to the post-season, and led the International League in attendance (636,788) for the third time in the last five years. That attendance figure was also the 3rd highest total in the country in all of minor league baseball (176 teams) behind only Sacramento and Round Rock of the Pacific Coast League. The PawSox established their all-time franchise attendance record of 688,421 fans in 2005.

The 2006 season featured two historic events. The first came on June 23, 2006 when the PawSox celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the Longest Game. 25 Years to the date that the PawSox won the Longest Game in baseball history in 33-innings - a 3-2 victory over Rochester on June 23, 1981 at McCoy Stadium - many of the stars from that game were on hand at McCoy to relive the memories of their Hall of Fame moment. Those in attendance during Pawtucket's game at McCoy on June 23, 2006 included: Wade Boggs, Marty Barrett, Bruce Hurst, Dave Koza, Joe Morgan and several others from both the PawSox and Rochester Red Wings.

Then, later in the summer of 2006, the PawSox played a regular-season game (on August 26) at historic Fenway Park in Boston which was the site for the inaugural "Futures at Fenway". The Pawtucket Red Sox and Rochester Red Wings squared off in an important late-season International League game that was won by the Pawsox in thrilling fashion, 5-4 before a sell-out crowd of nearly 35,000 at Fenway.

One of the greatest years in PawSox history occurred in 2004 when the PawSox, under the direction of Mondor, hosted an extremely successful three-day festival centered around the 2004 Triple-A All-Star Game that was played at McCoy Stadium in July. The events included a Celebrity Hitting Challenge on July 12 at McCoy, a free Fan Festival on July 13 in Providence, RI, a luncheon featuring "The Teammates" (Bobby Doerr, Johnny Pesky, and Dom DiMaggio), and finally a historic Triple-A All-Star Game that was won on a walk-off HR in the bottom of the 10th-inning.

A memorable 2004 was capped on the night of November 10, 2004 when Ben Mondor was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall-of-Fame at the 5th Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame Dinner and Enshrinement Ceremony. The honor was extra special because Ben was joined by former PawSox and Boston greats 3B Wade Boggs and LHP Bruce Hurst, as well as National Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley (himself another former Pawtucket player) who were all voted in by the club's Hall of Fame selection committee.

According to the Red Sox Hall of Fame selection committee, "Ben Mondor rescued Triple-A baseball in Pawtucket and over the last 28 years has turned the PawSox into one of the most beloved franchises in Minor League Baseball. Along the way, he has contributed to the development of countless Red Sox prospects on the road to Fenway Park."

In August of 2003 the PawSox welcomed their 10,000,000th Fan to McCoy Stadium during Ben's tenure. That milestone was celebrated in style on August 9, 2003 when the Sheehan Family of Lincoln, RI was presented with a new car, a lifetime pass to McCoy, along with other prizes. To put that moment into perspective, if the PawSox had continued at their 1977 attendance pace it would have taken over 142 years to draw 10 million fans to McCoy. Instead, that milestone was reached in 2003. An amazing accomplishment for Ben and the Pawtucket Red Sox, who in a short time have gone from a franchise at the bottom of the barrel to one at the top of the heap.

Following a record-breaking 1999 season at the newly-renovated and expanded McCoy Stadium, when the PawSox finished 3rd in the nation in attendance, that achievement was put into perspective when Mondor received some of the top honors in the industry. That December, Ben received the "Sporting News Executive of the Year Award" and then in January the "Judge Emil Fuchs Award" for long and meritorious service to baseball from the Boston Baseball Writers. Furthermore, at the conclusion of the 1999 season Mondor was unanimously selected as the International League Executive of the Year in voting conducted by the IL Board of Directors.

Ben has received many prominent awards, too many to mention here. His efforts have been recognized with several top awards including the distinguished "John H. Johnson President's Trophy" in 1990 as presented by the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues. As just the 17th winner in history, Mondor accepted the award given to the club that exemplifies the standards of the complete baseball franchise. The PawSox were also selected by Baseball America as the top Triple-A operation - receiving the 1990 "Bob Freitas Award". The PawSox became just the fourth organization in all of Minor League Baseball to earn a second Freitas Award when Baseball America chose the PawSox for their 2003 Bob Freitas Award.

Over the years Ben has been feted with a long list of honors and accolades. His most recent top awards include the "Distinguished Service Star" as presented by Governor Lincoln Almond and the State of Rhode Island in 2002 along with the ALS RI Chapter "Spirit of Lou Gehrig" Award presented in 2003.

His success did not come overnight, however. In his first year as owner of the PawSox, Ben had the dubious distinction of drawing just 70,000 fans for a pennant-winning ballclub in 1977. That figure is believed to be the lowest attendance for a championship ballclub in the 125-year history of the International League. Mondor's work had just begun. Now 34 years later that attendance has increased nearly ten times to about 700,000 a season.

From 1987-1995 the Pawtucket Red Sox established nine consecutive regular season attendance records. In addition, throughout the decade of the '90's, the PawSox consistently ranked among the Top Ten teams in the country in yearly attendance (out of approximately 180 clubs). An incredible feat considering the fact that Pawtucket is the smallest city and McCoy was the smallest stadium in all of Triple-A baseball.

That changed prior to the 1999 season, however, as McCoy Stadium underwent an ambitious $16 million renovation and expansion project. With McCoy in dire need of repair to meet PBA (Professional Baseball Association) and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements, the future of the PawSox was in doubt. Despite several flattering offers from cities that craved for professional baseball, Ben had clearly stated his intention all along - he wanted the PawSox to remain in the city of Pawtucket. It was then that Mondor stepped to the plate and insured the future of the ballclub by his willingness to accept major renovation costs. As a result, Pawtucket's venerable ballpark would get a new lease on life. The New McCoy Stadium - The Building of Dreams - would indeed become a reality.

Highlights of the renovation project, which began during the 1998 season and was completed prior to the 1999 season, included increased seating, new grandstand with entry tower, new playing field, expanded main concourse with additional restrooms and concession stands, new video board and scoreboards, and a host of other ADA and structural improvements in and around McCoy Stadium. The New McCoy has played to rave reviews ever since as players, fans, and the entire baseball community has come to marvel at the transformation of the 62 year-old ballpark.

Although the playing field changed during the renovation, McCoy Stadium will forever be known as the breeding ground for several of the greats of the game over the last three decades. Throughout the course of the '97 season, fans had the chance to select the PawSox All-Time 25th Anniversary Team. Over 30,000 votes were cast and some of the best names in baseball were chosen as stars like Jim Rice, Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, Mo Vaughn, and Nomar Garciaparra - all Mondor favorites - were honored.

As patriarch of Rhode Island's oldest and most successful professional sports organization, Mondor has guided the once bankrupt PawSox into a secure and profitable business. Affectionately known as a "fan's owner," Ben has raised ticket prices just five times in his 34 year tenure for a total of only $4.00. However, the general admission ticket prices have changed just twice in his 34 years and aer astill available for as little as $5.00. Mondor has effectively created a warm, friendly, and clean baseball atmosphere with both affordable ticket and concession prices for the entire family.

Mondor is a proud member of several Boards of Directors and Trustees and is involved in a large number of the top charitable organizations throughout the state of Rhode Island. He has created the Pawtucket Red Sox Charitable Foundation to help support numerous charitable groups throughout New England. Perhaps most importantly, however, Ben's loyal commitment to PawSox fans everywhere has paid off as Pawtucket Red Sox baseball has indeed risen to become a New England institution.

TOP HONORS & AWARDS BEN MONDOR HAS RECEIVED

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