Global InformationLou Gehrig Memorial Award information
 Lou Gehrig, the namesake of the award | |
| Location | Cooperstown, New York |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Phi Delta Theta |
| History | |
| First award | 1955 |
| Most recent | Salvador Pérez, Kansas City Royals[1][2] |
| Website | Lou Gehrig Memorial Award |
The Lou Gehrig Memorial Award is given annually to a Major League Baseball (MLB) player who best exhibits the character and integrity of Lou Gehrig, both on the field and off it.[3] The award was created by the Phi Delta Theta fraternity in honor of Gehrig, who was a member of the fraternity at Columbia University. It was first presented in 1955, fourteen years after Gehrig's death. The award's purpose is to recognize a player's exemplary contributions in "both his community and philanthropy."[3] The bestowal of the award is overseen by the headquarters of the Phi Delta Theta in Oxford, Ohio,[4] and the name of each winner is inscribed onto the Lou Gehrig Award plaque in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. It is the only MLB award conferred by a fraternity.[3]
Twenty-eight winners of the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award are members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.[5] The inaugural winner was Alvin Dark.[6] Curt Schilling (1995) and Shane Victorino (2008) received the award for working with the ALS Association and raising money for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The disease took Gehrig's life and is eponymously known as "Lou Gehrig's disease".[7][8] Mike Timlin won the award in 2007 for his efforts in raising awareness and finding a cure for ALS, which took his mother's life in 2002.[9]
Winners of the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award have undertaken a variety of different causes. Many winners, including Rick Sutcliffe,[10] Barry Larkin,[11] Mark McGwire,[12] Todd Stottlemyre[13] and Derek Jeter,[14] worked with children in need. Jeter assisted children and teenagers in avoiding drug and alcohol addiction[14] through his Turn 2 Foundation,[15] while Sutcliffe visited disabled children in hospitals[10] and bestowed college scholarships to underprivileged juveniles through his foundation.[16] Other winners devoted their work to aiding individuals who had a specific illness, such as Albert Pujols, whose daughter suffers from Down syndrome, and who devoted the Pujols Family Foundation to helping those with the disorder,[17] and Ryan Zimmerman, who established the ziMS Foundation to raise money for multiple sclerosis, the disease which afflicts his mother.[18][19]
- ^ "Salvador Perez wins Lou Gehrig Memorial Award". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
- ^ Brown, Katelyn (March 29, 2022). "KC Royals' Salvador Perez wins Lou Gehrig Memorial Award". KSHB-TV. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
- ^ a b c "The Lou Gehrig Memorial Award". Phi Delta Theta International Site. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
- ^ Dickson, Paul (June 13, 2011). The Dickson Baseball Dictionary. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 518. ISBN 9780393073492. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
- ^ "Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
- ^ "Gehrig Award Is Given To Dark". The Modesto Bee. United Press International. January 9, 1956. p. 18. Retrieved January 15, 2013.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Schilling gets Gehrig Award". Reading Eagle. January 4, 1996. p. C5. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ^ "Phillies' Shane Victorino Wins Phi Delta Theta's Lou Gehrig Award". Phi Delta Theta International Site. Archived from the original on August 5, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
- ^ "Mike Timlin – Boston Red Sox". Phi Delta Theta International Site. Archived from the original on August 5, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ^ a b Verdi, Bob (December 27, 1987). "Cubs Sutcliffe an ace on and off the field". The Beaver County Times. p. C12. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
- ^ "Larkin will receive Lou Gehrig Award". The Cincinnati Post. January 25, 1995. p. 4B. Retrieved January 15, 2013. (subscription required)
- ^ "McGwire Wins Gehrig Memorial Award". Associated Press. March 17, 2000. Retrieved January 15, 2013. (subscription required)
- ^ "Pitcher Todd Stottlemyre wins the Lou Gehrig Memorial award". Star-News. Wilmington. September 19, 2001. p. 9. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ^ a b "Turn 2 Foundation Mission Statement". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
- ^ Berry, Adam (January 18, 2012). "Jeter honored with Lou Gehrig Memorial Award". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
- ^ "Sutcliffe given Gehrig Memorial Award". The Evening News. Newburgh. Associated Press. November 24, 1987. p. 2B. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
- ^ "Albert Pujols Wins Phi Delta Theta's Lou Gehrig Award". Phi Delta Theta International Site. Archived from the original on August 5, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ^ "Ryan Zimmerman to be presented with the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award" (PDF). ziMS Foundation. Washington Nationals. June 25, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
- ^ Wagner, James (June 25, 2012). "Ryan Zimmerman honored for his charitable work with the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 16, 2013.