2011 Buck O'Neil Award Winner Roland Hemond
Roland Hemond was the 2011 and second recipient of the John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award. Hemond revolutionized front-office management and strategy during a seven-decade career in baseball, while spending his post-general manager days assisting baseball family members in need.
Hemond first rose to prominence in the late 1950s as the assistant scouting director for the Milwaukee Braves. He would become a three-time Executive of the Year recipient and helped to build winning franchises in Chicago, Baltimore and Arizona. Hemond became the scouting director for the Los Angeles Angels in their debut season of 1961, remaining with the franchise until 1970, when he became the Chicago White Sox's general manager and winning the Sporting News MLB Executive of the Year award in 1972. Hemond won his second Executive of the Year honor in 1983.
Hemond took over as the Baltimore Orioles' general manager in 1988, again named the Sporting News MLB Executive of the Year in 1989. He served as the Senior Executive Vice President for the Arizona Diamondbacks from 1996-2000, guiding the franchise through its debut season of 1998. Hemond worked as an executive advisor for the White Sox from 2001-07 before returning to the Diamondbacks as a special assistant to the president in 2007.
Hemond also served as the president of the Association of Professional Baseball Players of America, which provides financial assistance and college scholarships to current and former players, scouts and others connected with pro baseball.
Hemond helped found the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation, designed to provide assistance to longtime scouts who are in need of special support.
Hemond was named "King of Baseball" in 2001 by Minor League Baseball and also has baseball awards named in his honor by three organizations, recognizing his service to the game: The Chicago White Sox, Baseball America and the Society of American Baseball Research.
Hemond passed away on Dec. 12, 2021.
