Happening tonight: Red Sox and Medford legend Bill Monbouquette

The following was submitted by the Medford Historical Society & Museum

Tonight at 7:00 p.m. at the Medford Public Library, Boston baseball historian Herb Crehan will talk about Medford's own one-of-a-kind Bill Monbouquette.

The city of Medford and Medford High School have produced many great athletes over the years, both boys and girls, track stars, hockey players, Olympians, and more. Bill Monbouquette, MHS 1955, and former Red Sox All-Star pitcher, is near to the top of that list. Mombo, who was inducted into the Mustang Hall of Fame, played soccer, hockey, and baseball in high school, and it was in baseball that he rose to the highest of professional achievements.

Bill first appeared on the national baseball stage in 1954 at age17, between his junior and senior years at Medford High. At that time, and for many years before and after, the Hearst Newspapers sponsored a national contest of the best players throughout the U.S. playing at the New York Giants Polo Grounds against the New York City schoolboy all-stars. Bill represented Massachusetts, pitched two scoreless innings, and was named the tournament’s most valuable player.

His Hearst All-Star game heroics were followed by:

• Signing with the Boston Red Sox right after graduating in 1955 from Medford High
• Working his way through the Red Sox minor league system from 1955 to June 1958
• Joining the Red Sox in July 1958, earning AL All-Star honors in 1960, 1962, and 1963, and tossing a no-hitter in 1962 to go with 92 wins during 7 and a half Red Sox years through 1965
• Beginning in 1966, pitching for the Tigers, Yankees, and Giants before retiring in 1968
• Becoming a pitching coach in the minors and majors from 1969 to 2005

Those are just some of his many impressive statistics and achievements during a 50-year professional baseball career.

But the story that will be told at this event is of Bill the family guy, the loyal friend, the best possible teammate and mentor, a tireless volunteer with the Jimmy Fund, and Mombo the good neighbor who always made sure that people knew he was from Medford, Mass.

Registration for the program is free at www.medfordhistorical.org/events