Joe Mooney (September 6, 1930 – November 29, 2020) was an American groundskeeper who worked for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). Born in

Dunmore, Pennsylvania Dunmore is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States, adjoining Scranton, Pennsylvania, Scranton. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania and was settled in 1835 and incorporated in 1862. Extensive anthrac ...

, Mooney began his career as a youngster by serving as a clubhouse boy and assistant groundskeeper from 1948 through 1951 for the Double-A Scranton Red Sox. In the mid-1950s, he was groundskeeper for the Triple-A Louisville Colonels. In the late 1950s, he was groundskeeper for the Triple-A Minneapolis Millers. He went on to work at

D.C. Stadium Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, commonly known as RFK Stadium and originally known as District of Columbia Stadium, is a defunct multi-purpose stadium in Washington, D.C. It is located about due east of the U.S. Capitol building, near the w ...

, later renamed RFK Stadium, during the time that Vince Lombardi coached the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

's Washington Redskins and Ted Williams managed MLB's Washington Senators; Mooney was hired by the Senators in December 1960. In February 1969, someone stole home plate from RFK stadium, and a UPI photo showing Mooney and a security guard investigating the theft appeared in various newspapers. Mooney joined the Red Sox after the

1970 MLB season The 1970 Major League Baseball season: The Seattle Pilots relocated to Milwaukee and became the Brewers, thus returning Major League Baseball to Wisconsin for the first time since the relocation of the Milwaukee Braves to Atlanta following the 1 ...

, upon recommendation by Williams to the team's owner, Tom Yawkey. Mooney became the head groundskeeper at Fenway Park and held that post for the next 31 years. In October 1975, he again appeared in various newspapers when Game 6 of the World Series had to be postponed three times, in consideration of rain and the condition of the field at Fenway Park. During his long stint with the Red Sox, Mooney became a legend at Fenway while contributing in different functions as Superintendent of Grounds, Park, and Maintenance. He was succeeded by Dave Mellor in January 2001. Mooney was given the title of Director of Grounds Emeritus, and was enshrined in the

Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame The Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame was instituted in 1995 to recognize the careers of selected former Boston Red Sox players, coaches and managers, and non-uniformed personnel. A 15-member selection committee of Red Sox broadcasters and executives, p ...

in 2012. In 2015, Mooney was inducted into the MLB Groundskeepers Hall of Fame.

Death

Mooney died at his residence on November 29, 2020.

Death

References

Further reading