1953–2001 as master of ceremonies at Cooperstown, 1955
Ford Frick in 1962 , sportswriter The following is a list of members of the Veterans Committee from its establishment in 1953 to its radical reformation in 2001, along with the dates of their membership. •
J. G. Taylor Spink, publisher of
The Sporting News from 1914 to 1962, chairman of the committee (1953–1959) •
Warren Brown, sportswriter who, among other things, is credited with giving
Babe Ruth the nickname "The Sultan of Swat" (1953–1965) •
Charlie Gehringer, Hall of Fame second baseman (1953–1992) •
Warren Giles, President of the National League from 1951 to 1969; general manager of the
Cincinnati Reds from 1937 to 1951 (1953–1978) •
Frank Graham, sportswriter of the
New York Journal-American. (1953–1965) •
Will Harridge, President of the American League from 1931 to 1959 (1953–1971) • Paul Kerr, director of the Clark Foundation which funded the Hall, and future President of the Baseball Hall of Fame (1953–1978) •
John Malaney sportswriter for
The Boston Post and former BBWAA President (1953–1959) •
Branch Rickey, who helped pioneer the farm system as general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals from 1919 to 1942, signed
Jackie Robinson who broke the color barrier as president and general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1942 to 1950, and was at this time active general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, a position he held from 1950 to 1955 (1953–1965) • Charlie Segar, former sportswriter, and secretary-treasurer of the National League from 1951 to 1971 (1953–1993) •
Frank Shaughnessy, President of the
International League from 1936 to 1960 (1953–1969) •
J. Roy Stockton, sportswriter for the
St. Louis Post-Dispatch from 1918 to 1958, where he mostly covered the
St. Louis Cardinals (1961–1971) •
Dan Daniel, prolific sportswriter whose contributions over a long period led him to be called the dean of American baseball writers (1961–1976) •
Joe Cronin, Hall of Fame shortstop [inducted in 1956] who also served as manager for the
Boston Red Sox from 1935 to 1947, general manager for the Red Sox from 1947 to 1959, and President of the American League from 1959 to 1973 (1961–1984) •
Ford Frick, National League President from 1934 to 1951 and
Commissioner of Baseball from 1951 to 1965 (1966–1969) •
Fred Lieb, sportswriter best known for nicknaming
Yankee Stadium as "The House Ruth Built" (1966–1980) •
Frankie Frisch, Hall of Fame second baseman [inducted 1947], who also served as manager (most notably for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1933 to 1938) and radio play-by-play announcer for Boston and the
New York Giants (1967–1973) •
Waite Hoyt, Hall of Fame pitcher [inducted 1969] who also served as radio play-by-play announcer for the
Cincinnati Reds from 1942 to 1965 (1971–1976) •
Bill Terry, Hall of Fame first baseman [inducted 1954], manager of the New York Giants from 1932 to 1941 (1971–1976) •
Bob Broeg, sportswriter who covered the St. Louis Cardinals for 40 years, served on the Hall of Fame's Board of Directors from 1972 to 2000 (1972–2000) •
Bill DeWitt, general manager of the
St. Louis Browns from 1937 to 1951, and of the Cincinnati Reds from 1960 to 1966 (1973–1981) •
Stan Musial, Hall of Fame outfielder and first baseman [inducted 1969] and general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1967 (1973–2001) •
Burleigh Grimes, Hall of Fame pitcher [inducted 1964] and longtime scout (1977–1985) •
Edgar Munzel, sportswriter who wrote for the
Chicago Herald-Examiner and
Chicago Sun-Times from 1929 to 1973 (1977–1996) •
Bob Addie, sportswriter who covered baseball for
The Washington Post and
Washington Times-Herald (1978–1981) •
Joe Reichler, sportswriter for the
Associated Press from 1943 to 1966 who mostly covered baseball teams in New York City (1978–1988) •
Roy Campanella, Hall of Fame catcher [inducted 1969] (1978–1993) •
Buzzie Bavasi, general manager for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers [1950–1968], the
San Diego Padres [1968–1972] and the
California Angels [1977–1984] (1978–1999) •
Al López, Hall of Fame manager [inducted 1977] for the
Cleveland Indians [1951–1956] and
Chicago White Sox [1957–1965, 1968–1969] (1978–1994) •
Gabe Paul, general manager for the Cincinnati Reds [1951–1960], Cleveland Indians [1961–1969, 1971–1971] and New York Yankees [1974–1977], and President of the Cleveland Indians [1963–1971, 1978–1985] and New York Yankees [1973–1977] (1978–1993) •
Joe L. Brown, general manager of the
Pittsburgh Pirates from 1955 to 1976 (1979–2001) •
Birdie Tebbetts, manager for the Cincinnati Reds [1954–1958], Milwaukee Braves [1961–1962] and Cleveland Indians [1964–1966] and longtime scout [1968–1997] (1979–1993) •
Allen Lewis, sportswriter for
The Philadelphia Inquirer from 1949 to 1979 (1979–2000) •
Buck O'Neil, Negro league first baseman and manager, first African-American coach in Major League Baseball, longtime scout for the Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Royals and member of the Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame in St. Louis (1981–2001) •
Milton Richman, sportswriter for the
United Press International from 1944 until his death in 1986 (1983–1986) •
Monte Irvin, Hall of Fame left fielder from the Negro leagues [1938–1942, 1948] and MLB New York Giants [1949–1955] and Chicago Cubs [1956] [inducted 1973] •
Bob Fishel, executive for the St. Louis Browns [1946–1953] and New York Yankees [1954–1974], and American League executive vice president [1974–1988] (1985–1988) •
Ted Williams, Hall of Fame left fielder (1986–2000) •
Shirley Povich, sportswriter for
The Washington Post from 1923 until his death in 1998 (1987–1993) •
Red Barber, radio play-by-play announcer for the Cincinnati Reds [1934–1938], Brooklyn Dodgers [1939–1953] and New York Yankees [1954–1966] (1988–1990) •
Ernie Harwell, play-by-play announcer, most notably for the Detroit Tigers [1960–1991, 1993–2002] (1988–1995; 2001) •
Billy Herman, Hall of Fame second baseman [inducted 1975] •
Jack Brickhouse, play-by-play announcer for the Chicago Cubs from 1948 to 1981 (1991–1993) •
Yogi Berra, Hall of Fame catcher [inducted 1972] •
Pee Wee Reese, Hall of Fame shortstop [inducted 1984] and television play-by-play announcer (1994–1999) •
Bill White, sportscaster and National League president from 1989 to 1994 (1994–2001) •
Ken Coleman, play-by-play announcer for the Cleveland Indians [1954–1963], Boston Red Sox [1965–1974, 1979–1989] and Cincinnati Reds [1975–1978] (1996–2003) •
Leonard Koppett, sportswriter and author •
Hank Peters, general manager of the Baltimore Orioles from 1975 to 1987 and GM of the Cleveland Indians from 1987 to 1992 (1996–2001) •
Jerome Holtzman, sportswriter for the
Chicago Sun-Times from 1943 to 1981 and the
Chicago Tribune from 1981 to 1999, creator of the
save statistic, and official historian of Major League Baseball from 1999 until his death in 2008 (1998–2001) •
Hank Aaron, Hall of Fame right fielder [inducted 1982] and senior vice president for the
Atlanta Braves since 1980 (2000–2021) •
John McHale, general manager for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves [1959–1966] and
Montreal Expos [1978–1984], president of the Montreal Expos [1969–1986] (2000–2007)
2008 As of December 2008, for
2009 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, members of the Veterans Committee were: ;Pre-1943 Veterans Committee members ;Hall of Famers •
Bobby Doerr •
Ralph Kiner •
Phil Niekro •
Duke Snider •
Don Sutton •
Dick Williams ;Historians •
Furman Bisher •
Roland Hemond •
Steve Hirdt •
Bill Madden •
Claire Smith ;Post-1942 Veterans Committee members (67) •
Hank Aaron •
Sparky Anderson •
Luis Aparicio •
Ernie Banks •
Johnny Bench •
Yogi Berra •
Wade Boggs •
George Brett •
Lou Brock •
Jim Bunning •
Rod Carew •
Steve Carlton •
Gary Carter •
Orlando Cepeda •
Andre Dawson •
Bobby Doerr •
Dennis Eckersley •
Bob Feller •
Rollie Fingers •
Carlton Fisk •
Whitey Ford •
Bob Gibson •
Goose Gossage •
Tony Gwynn •
Rickey Henderson •
Monte Irvin •
Reggie Jackson •
Ferguson Jenkins •
Al Kaline •
George Kell •
Harmon Killebrew •
Ralph Kiner •
Sandy Koufax •
Tommy Lasorda •
Lee MacPhail •
Juan Marichal •
Willie Mays •
Bill Mazeroski •
Willie McCovey •
Paul Molitor •
Joe Morgan •
Eddie Murray •
Stan Musial •
Phil Niekro •
Jim Palmer •
Tony Pérez •
Gaylord Perry •
Jim Rice •
Cal Ripken Jr. •
Brooks Robinson •
Frank Robinson •
Nolan Ryan •
Ryne Sandberg •
Mike Schmidt •
Red Schoendienst •
Tom Seaver •
Ozzie Smith •
Duke Snider •
Bruce Sutter •
Don Sutton •
Earl Weaver •
Billy Williams •
Dick Williams •
Dave Winfield •
Carl Yastrzemski •
Robin Yount 2010 As of November 2010, for
2011 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, the only committee members announced were those voting for the post-1972 Expansion Era candidates: ;Hall of Famers •
Johnny Bench •
Whitey Herzog •
Eddie Murray •
Jim Palmer •
Tony Pérez •
Frank Robinson •
Ryne Sandberg •
Ozzie Smith ;Executives •
Bill Giles •
David Glass •
Andy MacPhail •
Jerry Reinsdorf ;Media •
Bob Elliott •
Tim Kurkjian •
Ross Newhan •
Tom Verducci 2011 As of November 2011, for
2012 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, the 16-member
Golden Era Committee was announced: ;Hall of Famers •
Hank Aaron •
Pat Gillick •
Al Kaline •
Ralph Kiner •
Tommy Lasorda •
Juan Marichal •
Brooks Robinson •
Billy Williams ;Executives •
Paul Beeston •
Bill DeWitt •
Roland Hemond •
Gene Michael •
Al Rosen ;Media •
Dick Kaegel •
Jack O'Connell •
Dave Van Dyck 2012 As of November 2012, for
2013 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, the 16-member Pre-Integration Era Committee was announced: • Executives:
Bill DeWitt,
Pat Gillick,
Roland Hemond,
Gary Hughes • Former players:
Bert Blyleven,
Phil Niekro,
Don Sutton,
Bob Watson • Historians: Jim Henneman,
Steve Hirdt, Tom Simon, Mark Whicker • Media members:
Peter Morris,
Phil Pepe,
Claire Smith, T. R. Sullivan
2013 The Pre-Integration Committee's 16-member voting electorate, appointed by the Hall of Fame's Board of Directors, was announced at the same time as the ballot of 10 candidates: • Hall of Famers:
Bert Blyleven,
Pat Gillick,
Phil Niekro,
Don Sutton • Executives:
Bill DeWitt,
Roland Hemond,
Gary Hughes,
Bob Watson • Media and historians: Jim Henneman, Steve Hirdt, Peter Morris, Phil Pepe, Tom Simon, Claire Smith, T.R. Sullivan, Mark Whicker
2014 The Expansion Era Committee's 16-member voting electorate, appointed by the Hall of Fame's Board of Directors, was announced at the same time as the ballot of 12 candidates. The Hall officially calls this group the "Expansion Era Committee", but media still generally refer to it as the "Veterans Committee". • Hall of Famers:
Rod Carew,
Carlton Fisk,
Whitey Herzog,
Tommy Lasorda,
Joe Morgan,
Paul Molitor,
Phil Niekro,
Frank Robinson • Executives:
Paul Beeston,
Andy MacPhail, Dave Montgomery,
Jerry Reinsdorf • Media and historians:
Steve Hirdt, Bruce Jenkins, Jack O'Connor, Jim Reeves
2015 The Golden Era Committee's 16-member voting electorate, appointed by the Hall of Fame's Board of Directors, was announced at the same time as the ballot of 10 candidates. The Baseball Hall of Fame officially named this group the "Golden Era Committee" ("The Committee"), which voted for the first time on December 5, 2011. All of the Hall of Fame members on this committee were inducted as players, except for executive Pat Gillick. • Hall of Famers:
Jim Bunning,
Rod Carew,
Pat Gillick,
Ferguson Jenkins,
Al Kaline,
Joe Morgan,
Ozzie Smith,
Don Sutton • Executives:
Jim Frey,
David Glass,
Roland Hemond,
Bob Watson • Media:
Steve Hirdt,
Dick Kaegel,
Phil Pepe,
Tracy Ringolsby 2016 The Pre-Integration ballot for election was released on October 5, 2015; final voting was conducted by the Pre-Integration Committee, a 16-member body which met at baseball's winter meetings in Nashville on December 6, with 75% (12 of 16 votes) required for election; results were announced the following morning. The committee's members, appointed by the Hall of Fame's board of directors, were announced later in fall 2015 and included members of the Hall, baseball executives, members of the media and historians: • Hall of Famers:
Bert Blyleven,
Bobby Cox,
Pat Gillick and
Phil Niekro • Executives:
Chuck Armstrong,
Bill DeWitt,
Gary Hughes and
Tal Smith • Media/Historians: Steve Hirdt, Peter Morris, Jack O'Connell, Claire Smith,
Tim Sullivan, T.R. Sullivan,
Gary Thorne and Tim Wendel Blyleven, Gillick, Niekro, DeWitt, Hughes, Hirdt, Morris, Smith and T.R. Sullivan previously served on the committee which selected the 2013 inductees. For the second consecutive year, none of the candidates received enough votes for election; it marked the third consecutive year – and the fifth time in seven years – in which no former players were chosen by the Hall's special committees. Speaking on MLB Network's
Hot Stove immediately after it broadcast the announcement, Major League Baseball's official historian
John Thorn expressed surprise and disappointment at the results, noting that he had felt there were three particularly strong candidates (prior to the announcement, he had commented favorably on the candidacies of
Doc Adams and
Harry Stovey); he speculated that the number of good candidates may have deadlocked the voting once again, and suggested that the Hall may need to amend the voting process in the future.
2017 The committee consisted of the following individuals: • Hall of Famers:
Roberto Alomar,
Bobby Cox,
Andre Dawson,
Dennis Eckersley,
Pat Gillick,
Ozzie Smith,
Don Sutton and
Frank Thomas • Executives:
Paul Beeston,
Bill DeWitt,
David Glass,
Andy MacPhail and
Kevin Towers • Media and historians: Bill Center,
Steve Hirdt, and
Tim Kurkjian • Non-voting committee chair:
Jane Forbes Clark (Hall of Fame chairman)
2018 The committee consisted of the following individuals: • Hall of Famers:
George Brett,
Rod Carew,
Bobby Cox,
Dennis Eckersley,
John Schuerholz,
Don Sutton,
Dave Winfield,
Robin Yount • Executives:
Sandy Alderson,
Paul Beeston,
Bob Castellini,
David Glass,
Bill DeWitt • Media and historians:
Bob Elliott,
Steve Hirdt,
Jayson Stark • Non-voting committee chair:
Jane Forbes Clark (Hall of Fame chairman)
2019 The committee consisted of the following individuals: • Hall of Famers:
Roberto Alomar,
Bert Blyleven,
Pat Gillick,
Tony La Russa,
Greg Maddux,
Joe Morgan,
John Schuerholz,
Ozzie Smith,
Joe Torre • Executives:
Al Avila,
Paul Beeston,
Andy MacPhail,
Jerry Reinsdorf • Media and historians:
Steve Hirdt,
Tim Kurkjian,
Claire Smith • Non-voting committee chair:
Jane Forbes Clark (Hall of Fame chairman)
2020 The cutoff for election to the Hall of Fame remained the standard 75%; as the Modern Baseball Era Committee consisted of 16 members, 12 votes was the minimum for selection. • Hall of Famers:
George Brett,
Rod Carew,
Dennis Eckersley,
Eddie Murray,
Ozzie Smith and
Robin Yount • Executives:
Sandy Alderson,
Dave Dombrowski,
David Glass,
Walt Jocketty,
Doug Melvin and
Terry Ryan • Media and historians: Bill Center,
Steve Hirdt, Jack O’Connell and
Tracy Ringolsby. • Non-voting committee chair:
Jane Forbes Clark (Hall of Fame chairman)
2021 Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, meetings of the Early Baseball committee and Golden Days committee were postponed from December 2020 to December 2021. • Hall of Famers:
Bert Blyleven,
Ferguson Jenkins,
John Schuerholtz,
Ozzie Smith,
Joe Torre • Executives:
William DeWitt Jr.,
Ken Kendrick,
Tony Reagins • Media and historians:
Steve Hirdt,
Rick Hummel,
John Thorn, Gary Ashwill, Adrian Burgos Jr., Leslie Heaphy, Jim Henneman, Justice B. Hill • Non-voting committee chair:
Bud Selig,
Jane Forbes Clark (Hall of Fame chairman) Golden Days Era Committee The committee consisted of the following individuals: • Hall of Famers:
Greg Maddux,
Jack Morris,
Ryne Sandberg,
Lee Smith,
Frank Thomas,
Alan Trammell • Executives:
Paul Beeston,
Theo Epstein,
Derrick Hall,
Arte Moreno,
Kim Ng,
Dave St. Peter,
Ken Williams • Media and historians:
Steve Hirdt, La Velle Neal,
Susan Slusser 2024 Contemporary Era Baseball Committee The committee consisted of the following individuals: • Hall of Famers:
Jeff Bagwell,
Tom Glavine,
Chipper Jones,
Ted Simmons,
Jim Thome,
Joe Torre • Executives:
Bud Selig,
Sandy Alderson,
William DeWitt Jr.,
Michael Hill,
Ken Kendrick,
Andy MacPhail, Phyllis Merhige • Media and historians:
Sean Forman, Jack O'Connell, Jesus Ortiz
2025 Classic Baseball Era Committee The 16-member committee (of which, 75% or 12 votes were required for election) consisted of the following individuals: • Hall of Famers:
Paul Molitor,
Eddie Murray,
Tony Pérez,
Lee Smith,
Ozzie Smith,
Joe Torre • Executives:
Sandy Alderson,
Terry McGuirk,
Dayton Moore,
Arte Moreno,
Brian Sabean • Media and historians:
Bob Elliott, Leslie Heaphy,
Steve Hirdt,
Dick Kaegel,
Larry Lester 2026 Contemporary Era Baseball Committee The committee consisted of the following individuals: • Hall of Famers:
Ferguson Jenkins,
Jim Kaat,
Juan Marichal,
Tony Pérez,
Ozzie Smith,
Alan Trammell,
Robin Yount • Executives:
Mark Attanasio,
Doug Melvin,
Arte Moreno,
Kim Ng,
Tony Reagins,
Terry Ryan • Media and historians:
Steve Hirdt,
Tyler Kepner,
Jayson Stark ==See also==