Bill Giles, the longtime Phillies executive and former owner, died Friday just 18 days after turning 92.
He died at his home in Gladwyne, Pa., according to the Phillies.
“The Phillies family lost an icon today,” Phillies managing partner and CEO John Middleton said in a statement from the organization. “Bill helped to reshape our franchise from a traditional baseball club into a highly visible entertainment and business operation. His profound impact in overseeing one of the greatest eras in franchise history, both on and off the field, will forever be his legacy.”
Giles is not only known as the architect of the 1980 World Series championship team (the Phillies’ first), led by series MVP Mike Schmidt, Pete Rose and Steve Carlton, but he’s also credited with introducing the Phillie Phanatic, one of the most notable mascots across sports.
Giles believed the Phillies needed a mascot capable of entertaining families and connecting with younger fans.
The Phanatic debuted in 1978 and eventually grew into one of the most notable mascots in pro sports.
It was also perfectly representative of Giles’ approach to baseball and the business around it.
Giles joined Philadelphia in 1969 as vice president of business operations and became known for finding increasingly creative — and occasionally bizarre — methods of fan entertainment.
His promotions included a tightrope walk in conjunction with Karl Wallenda, the first of the famed Flying Wallendas, who walked a nearly 640-foot tightrope several hundred feet high across Veterans Stadium in 1973.
Wallenda performed the stunt with zero netting and completed the tightrope, to Giles’ relief. And he did it again in 1976.
In one instance, Giles attempted to have “Kiteman” fly a hang glider from a ramp in the upper deck of the ballpark to the mound to deliver a ball to then-Philadelphia mayor Frank Rizzo on Opening Day in 1972.
“Kiteman” crashed into the upper deck, although he survived.
“My goal was to do unusual things — cash scrambles and giveaways and all that stuff,” he said. “If we could get them to the ballpark once, particularly when we opened the Vet, they hopefully will like it enough to where they would come back enough to become a mini-season-ticket holder for 10-15 games a year and then eventually a full season-ticket holder. It was that stepping stone of developing a fan base that started by doing a lot of nutty things.”
Schmidt called Giles a “dear friend.”
“Sad news today as we learned of the passing of a dear friend of the Phillies family, Bill Giles,” Schmidt said in a statment. “Bill was the heart and soul of the organization for over two decades. He was a close personal friend to so many of us. He will always be a big part of Phillies history. Prayers go to the Giles family in this time of mourning.”
