After Larry Lucchino died at the age of 78 on April 2, I dug into the Sports Business Journal archives to re-read much of our coverage of this demanding and indefatigable force in sports business. What follows is a mix of his words from Bill King’s Champions profile when Lucchino was 75, and remembrances from those he touched:
“I’ve had this element of insecurity in my life that has motivated me, where maybe you feel like you have to work harder than others.”
“It sort of fits my personality that you need several different people to evaluate a thing objectively. The jury system works because it brings 12 different perspectives.”
“No matter what someone asks you, the default should be yes.”
“What they say about baseball players is the same for baseball executives: They mature after they’ve exhausted all other options. I was a scorched earth kind of guy. That came naturally … If we burned a few bridges, so be it. Maybe it’s sickness. Maybe it’s a combination of things. But I feel a little — what’s the word? — a little less eager to be aggressive now. I’ll never be passive. But it’s called maturity. It’s called growth. It’s called life.”
“We don’t focus enough on wisdom or experience or a sense of people and what motivates them until we get older. I’ve had a number of conversations with [Bill] Bradley about how the 70s are a decade in which that should take place. There’s personal growth that still goes on as you get older. Your body may not be able to do the same number of pushups, but you can think more deeply about other kinds of things and reflect more honestly about the life you’ve lived.”
From those who worked with him:
Longtime right-hand Charles Steinberg told the Boston Globe: “Rigid, methodical people have a tough time working for Larry. Larry will come in like a gust of wind and change things you’ve planned. Things get better when he calls an audible. But it can throw you off if you’re used to a traditional corporate mentality.”
Janet Marie Smith told The New York Times: “He was always challenging everyone. He’d say, ‘This is mediocre, we’re not settling for it.’”
Lon Babby, who started working with Lucchino at Williams & Connolly: “He was extremely demanding and never stopped working. He had a good sense of humor, but he could be very challenging and hard to work for.”
Red Sox CMO Adam Grossman: “He demanded excellence, set exceedingly high standards and implored himself and those around him to work harder, think deeper and be better every single day.”
Ron Bumgarner, Red Sox executive vice president of ticketing: “He was the only person I ever had in my life that I actually appreciated when he was barking at me; I knew that meant he respected me and I deserved that seat at the table.”
Troup Parkinson, Red Sox executive vice president of partnerships: “I would bring him every single proposed sponsor sign in March, and we would negotiate for hours on what we should allow and not allow. He was absolutely consumed with ensuring the ballpark looked ‘right.’ He also tended to change his mind depending on his mood, so I would have him sign every approved mock-up in red pen. When we would walk the ballpark the night before Opening Day, and he complained about the look of almost every sign saying, ‘I would never approve that,’ I would bring all the signed copies to show him he actually had.”
From my view, Lucchino was genuine, yet complicated. Listening to Boston sports talk radio on the day he died, I was struck that someone not from Boston or New England so understood Red Sox Nation and the market like he did. He was savvy in so many realms — business, politics and real estate — and saw the whole field, as it were. He also was one of the more effective communicators I have seen in that role; he loved sparring with the media but always got his point across. Aggressive and intense, he would go overboard at times. But fans knew he cared.
A few days after he died, a former co-worker of his emailed me from Boston with a heavy heart: “Larry created a unique environment everywhere he went, and allowed us to be part of something special.” And that’s what I’ll always remember about Lucchino: the impact he had on those he worked with and how he made them better. They all call him one of the most important and influential leaders they have ever worked for because of his exacting style. He never let them settle for the status quo; he made them better, which led to their professional success. There were a few frayed relationships at the end, but just look at the talent level and caliber of people he worked with and mentored.
Asked what he thought his legacy would be, Lucchino told the Boston Globe, “He made a difference in the cities he lived in.” His legacy will be more significant than that — he made those he touched better people.
Abraham Madkour can be reached at amadkour@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
