Williams Voted Into Hall Of Fame

Jim Rice won’t learn his Hall of Fame fate for another five weeks. But there will be Red Sox representation at the Induction Ceremony in Cooperstown July 27, 2008.

Dick Williams, the manager of the 1967 “Impossible Dream” team that advanced to Game Seven of the World Series and turned the Sox from afterthought to New England-wide obsession, was one of five men elected to the Hall of Fame Monday by the Veterans Committee.

Williams, who also managed the Athletics to world championships in 1972 and 1973 and the Padres to the 1984 World Series, is the only living electee of the quintet. “This is unbelievable,” Williams told mlb.com Monday. “We’ve been crying all over the house today. It’s the highest honor. I just certainly appreciate it.”

The Sox suffered eight straight losing seasons prior to Williams’ arrival, but buoyed by a Triple Crown season from Carl Yastrzemski, a 20-win campaign from Jim Lonborg and Williams’ no-nonsense approach, they outlasted the Tigers, Twins and White Sox to win the Sox’ first pennant since 1946. The Sox beat the Tigers and Twins by a game apiece while the White Sox finished three games back before they fell to the Cardinals in a seven-game World Series.

“We are proud that his Hall of Fame managerial career began right here in Boston,” the Red Sox said in a written statement. “It was 40 years ago that a 38-year-old manager in his first major league season guided a club that finished in ninth place in 1966 to the American League pennant and to within one game of a World Championship.”

“I want to congratulate Dick Williams on his election to the Hall of Fame,” Yastrzemski said in a statement released by the Sox. “It was long overdue. He worked hard, and he proved to me and my teammates that 1967 was a year we will never forget. It was an honor to play for him.”

Despite his immediate and historic success, Williams never hit it off with owner Tom Yawkey and was let go late in the 1969 season. He went on to manage five more teams over the next 20 seasons: The Athletics (1971-73), Angels (1974-76), Expos (1977-81), Padres (1982-85) and Mariners (1986-88). In addition to leading the Athletics and Padres to the World Series, he steered the Expos to a team-record 95 wins in 1979 and their only playoff berth in 1981 and led the Mariners to a then-team record 78 wins in 1987.

Williams was joined Monday by Billy Southworth, who won two world championships in 13 years as manager of the Braves and Cardinals. Executives Bowie Kuhn (baseball’s commissioner from 1969-1984), Barney Dreyfuss (first owner of the Pirates) and Walter O’Malley (the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers who moved the club to Los Angeles) were also elected.

Williams and Southworth each received 13 of the 16 votes cast by the committee. Just as in the general election, 75 percent of the vote is needed to gain enshrinement.

This will be the third time in six years the Sox have representation at Cooperstown. Dennis Eckersley was elected on the first ballot in 2004 and Wade Boggs earned first ballot induction in 2005.