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Edward Guy "Buddy" LeRoux Jr. (August 17, 1930 – January 7, 2008) was an American businessman, best known for his time as a
general partner General partner is a person who joins with at least one other person to form a business. A general partner has responsibility for the actions of the business, can legally bind the business and is personally liable for all the partnership's debts an ...
of the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
from May 1978 through March 1987.
Early life
A native of
Woburn, Massachusetts
Woburn ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,876 at the 2020 census. Woburn is located north of Boston. Woburn uses Massachusetts' mayor-council form of government, in which an elected mayor is ...
, LeRoux graduated from
Woburn Memorial High School
Woburn Memorial High School (WMHS) is a public high school in Woburn, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Woburn Public Schools district and participates in the Middlesex League. It is home to the Tanners and Tannerettes and the nick ...
and
Northeastern University and was a veteran of the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
. He began his sporting career as an
athletic trainer for the
Boston Celtics (during their championship runs in the 1950s and 1960s), the
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...
, and the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
(1966–1974). During the 1970s, he also began to flourish in the business world, successfully investing in real estate and a series of physical therapy and rehabilitation hospitals.
Boston Red Sox general partner
By 1977, LeRoux was wealthy enough to assemble a group of investors seeking to purchase the Red Sox from the estate of longtime owner
Tom Yawkey
Thomas Austin Yawkey, born Thomas Yawkey Austin (February 21, 1903 – July 9, 1976), was an American industrialist, philanthropist, conservationist and Major League Baseball executive. Born in Detroit, Yawkey became president of the Boston Red S ...
, who had died in 1976. Yawkey's widow,
Jean
Jean may refer to:
People
* Jean (female given name)
* Jean (male given name)
* Jean (surname)
Fictional characters
* Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character
* Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations
* Jea ...
, had served as owner and president during much of the 1976 season.
With the backing of
Rogers Badgett, a
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
-based coal magnate,
["Buddy LeRoux Heads BoSox Coup,"](_blank)
The Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newsp ...
, 1983-06-07 LeRoux put together a 30-share
limited partnership and then recruited Red Sox vice president
Haywood Sullivan
Haywood Cooper Sullivan (December 15, 1930 – February 12, 2003) was an American college and professional baseball player who was a catcher, manager, general manager and club owner in Major League Baseball. From May 23, 1978, through Novembe ...
, one of Mrs. Yawkey's favorites among her husband's employees, as a member of his syndicate. When the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
initially rejected the purchase in 1978, Mrs. Yawkey herself joined the LeRoux-Sullivan bid as a third general partner. The restructured bid was approved by the American League on May 23, 1978. Jean Yawkey became team president, with LeRoux as executive vice president and head of business operations. Sullivan became
general manager
A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...
and head of baseball operations. At one point, LeRoux and Badgett controlled an estimated 42 percent of Red Sox stock.
Takeover attempt
But LeRoux and his limited partners grew restive when the Red Sox fell from contention, and attendance at
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Bas ...
and revenues fell from prior levels. Part of the club's on-field decline was due to fiscal belt-tightening and refusal to compete aggressively for veteran talent by retaining or signing
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
s, although it was not clear which general partner ordered the policy. Reportedly, the LeRoux faction wanted the team run in a more "business-like" manner, while Mrs. Yawkey sought to preserve some of the philosophies of her late husband, known as a "player-friendly" owner.
LeRoux was thwarted in an attempt to sell his share in the team for $20 million to Boston businessman
David Mugar
David Graves Mugar (April 27, 1939 – January 25, 2022) was an Armenian-American businessman from Belmont, Massachusetts. He was a member of the Mugar family of Greater Boston. He was CEO and chair of Mugar Enterprises. His father, Stephen P. ...
, and then rejected a counter-offer from Mrs. Yawkey and Sullivan.
In 1983, the Red Sox suffered their first losing season since 1966, and the rift among the ownership factions became public. On June 6, prior to a Monday night home game against the
Detroit Tigers, the Red Sox planned a special benefit for stricken former star
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...
Tony Conigliaro
Anthony Richard Conigliaro (January 7, 1945 – February 24, 1990), nicknamed "Tony C" and "Conig", was a Major League Baseball outfielder and right-handed batter who played for the Boston Red Sox (1964–1967, 1969–1970, 1975) and California ...
, who had been incapacitated at age 37 by a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...
in January 1982. Conigliaro's old teammates from the
1967 "Impossible Dream" Red Sox assembled for a
pre-game ceremony
A pre-game ceremony or pre-match ceremony is an on-field ceremony occurring before a sporting event. Such ceremonies may celebrate a past event, honour a retiring athlete, commemorate a deceased athlete, or promote a cause.
Celebrating past event ...
, and a crowd of nearly 24,000 gathered, one of the largest gates at Fenway Park since
Opening Day. Boston's television stations had crews in place to cover "Tony C Night."
Prior to the festivities, LeRoux called a press conference and announced that he and a majority of the team's limited partners, chiefly Badgett and Albert Curran, were exercising language in their partnership agreement to overthrow Sullivan and Yawkey and take command of the club. He announced a "reorganization of internal management"
and appointed himself managing general partner, while bringing in former Red Sox general manager
Dick O'Connell to replace Sullivan as head of baseball operations. Boston media immediately dubbed the gambit the "Coup LeRoux."
Takeover failure
The two ousted general partners immediately filed suit against LeRoux, were granted an
injunction, and then battled him in court over the next 12 months. The trial revealed unflattering details about all the principals: it was learned that LeRoux and his faction were in secret negotiations to buy the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...
while still involved with the Red Sox and LeRoux's legal team heaped criticism upon the management decisions of Mrs. Yawkey and Sullivan.
In early June 1984, the legal fight ended with an appeals court ruling against LeRoux. He was removed as the team's executive vice president, administration, and his allies were purged from management. In late 1985, Jean Yawkey bought out Badgett, Curran and LeRoux's own limited partnership (which reportedly fetched $2 million). On March 30, 1987, Mrs. Yawkey acquired LeRoux's general partnership for a reported $7 million to become majority general partner in the team.
Later life
Following the failed takeover attempt, LeRoux largely faded from the public eye, although from 1986 to 1989 he did own Boston's
Suffolk Downs, a
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...
racetrack. By the late 1980s, he had filed assets of $100 million, "including oil wells, greyhound racing dogs and antique cars."
LeRoux died at age 77 on January 7, 2008, in
Wolfeboro, New Hampshire
Wolfeboro is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,416 at the 2020 census. A resort area situated beside Lake Winnipesaukee, Wolfeboro includes the village of Wolfeboro Falls.
History
The town was granted ...
.
[ He was survived by his wife and three children.]
References
External links
Obituary
from ''The New York Times''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leroux, Buddy
1930 births
2008 deaths
Athletic trainers
Boston Bruins personnel
Boston Celtics personnel
Boston Red Sox executives
Boston Red Sox owners
Businesspeople from Massachusetts
Major League Baseball owners
Northeastern University alumni
People from Woburn, Massachusetts
Suffolk Downs executives
United States Marines
Woburn Memorial High School alumni