Beloved White Sox executive Roland Hemond dies at 92

Roland Hemond, a beloved baseball executive who served as White Sox general manager from 1970-85, died in his sleep Sunday night, according to multiple reports. He was 92.

Honored by the Baseball Hall of Fame with the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011, Hemond served under three Sox owners — John W. Allyn, Bill Veeck and Jerry Reinsdorf — overseeing the AL West champion 1983 Sox team and memorable 1977 South Side Hitmen squad. Hemond’s acquisition of Dick Allen in a trade with the Dodgers helped save a franchise that struggled at the gate in 1970, and he was named Executive of the Year by the Sporting News in 1972 after Allen and the runnerup Sox challenged the World Series champion Oakland Athletics in the AL West.

Hemond, who gave Tony La Russa his first manager’s job, was a special advisor to Sox GM Ken Williams during the Sox’ 2005 World Series championship season. He played key roles in building the expansion Los Angeles Angels and Arizona Diamondbacks from the ground up.

Hemond was known for his kindness, generosity and integrity as well as his baseball expertise.”