Boston Red Sox

Longtime Red Sox president Larry Lucchino dies at 78

Lucchino, whose baseball legacy extends across three teams spanning multiple decades, oversaw three World Series wins during his time in Boston.

Larry Lucchino Red Sox
Larry Lucchino in 2002 as a new ownership group took control of the Red Sox. Jim Davis/Globe Staff

By Hayden Bird

1 minute to read

Former Red Sox president Larry Lucchino, who helped oversee the 2004 Red Sox winning a World Series for the first time in 86 years (as well as two additional championships), died at the age of 78 on Tuesday.

The news was originally reported by John Powers of The Boston Globe.

Lucchino, who was chairman of the Worcester Red Sox and The Jimmy Fund, served as Red Sox president and CEO from 2002 until 2015.

Prior to coming to Boston, Lucchino worked in the Orioles and Padres organizations. His legacy remains, in part, ballparks that were built in his time (Camden Yards in Baltimore and Petco Park in San Diego) or restored (Fenway Park).

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He was known for embracing older-era concepts in ballpark design, explaining (per Jen McCaffrey and Chad Jennings of The Athletic) the merit of saving Fenway to an ex-Red Sox executive in 2002 by saying, “You preserve the Mona Lisa!”

He got into sports after joining the Washington law firm of Williams & Connolly. Serving under the direction of Edward Bennett Williams, then the owner of the Orioles, Lucchino quickly rose in the ranks. He eventually became president of the Orioles (a title he would later hold with the Padres and Red Sox).

Here’s the statement from the Lucchino family, via the Red Sox:

Hayden Bird

Sports Staff

Hayden Bird is a sports staff writer for Boston.com, where he has worked since 2016. He covers all things sports in New England.

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