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Among Red Patterson’s exciting experiences with the Dodgers was watching Sandy Koufax pitch four no-hitters.
Professional baseball is known for its great players and memorable games, however, equally important but much less known are those who work in ball clubs around the country to popularize the game among the public and draw in new fans.
One of the best was Arthur “Red” Patterson (1909-92), a newspaperman turned pioneering baseball public relations professional and club executive who worked for nearly 50 years for the New York Yankees, Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers and California Angels. Red was associated with 13 pennant-winning teams — six with the Yankees and seven with the Dodgers. He perhaps became best known during his 20-plus years as a Dodgers PR man and three years as president of the California Angels (1975-77). Known as a hard worker with innovative ideas, Red was also a Catholic convert whose beliefs permeated his career and volunteer activities.
Red was born in Queens, New York, the son of a mill superintendent. He became a sportswriter for the New York Herald-Tribune, before accepting a job as publicity director for the New York Yankees in 1946. It was the first such job for a major league baseball team. He would go on to help the team become an attendance leader through his creative promotions, such as the Old Timer’s game which would bring back such retired legends as Babe Ruth to play in 1947. Red noted, “It has since become a tradition.”
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www.ncregister.com
Professional baseball is known for its great players and memorable games, however, equally important but much less known are those who work in ball clubs around the country to popularize the game among the public and draw in new fans.
One of the best was Arthur “Red” Patterson (1909-92), a newspaperman turned pioneering baseball public relations professional and club executive who worked for nearly 50 years for the New York Yankees, Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers and California Angels. Red was associated with 13 pennant-winning teams — six with the Yankees and seven with the Dodgers. He perhaps became best known during his 20-plus years as a Dodgers PR man and three years as president of the California Angels (1975-77). Known as a hard worker with innovative ideas, Red was also a Catholic convert whose beliefs permeated his career and volunteer activities.
Red was born in Queens, New York, the son of a mill superintendent. He became a sportswriter for the New York Herald-Tribune, before accepting a job as publicity director for the New York Yankees in 1946. It was the first such job for a major league baseball team. He would go on to help the team become an attendance leader through his creative promotions, such as the Old Timer’s game which would bring back such retired legends as Babe Ruth to play in 1947. Red noted, “It has since become a tradition.”
Billy Martin
Continued below.
50 Years of Baseball Memories from Yankees, Dodgers and Angels
Among Red Patterson’s exciting experiences with the Dodgers was watching Sandy Koufax pitch four no-hitters.
