PHILADELPHIA CITY COUNCIL APPROVED COUNCILMEMBER KENYATTA JOHNSON’S RESOLUTION URGING THAT THE LATE GREAT PHILLIES PLAYER DICK ALLEN BE VOTED INTO THE NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME AS PART OF THE CLASS OF 2027
Former Phillies player Dickie Noles came to Council chambers to speak in support of passage of the resolution
Former Phillies player Dickie Ray Noles came to City Council and spoke in support of the resolution.
PHILADELPHIA, PA (June 15, 2023): Philadelphia City Council approved Philadelphia City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson’s (Second District) resolution during the Thursday, June 15 City Council session urging the members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s “Golden Days Era Committee” to nominate and elect former Philadelphia Phillies great Dick Allen to the National Baseball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2027.
In December 2021, Allen fell one vote short of getting into the Hall of Fame for the second time in a row. time. Allen supporters will now have to wait until the Golden Days Era Committee votes in December 2026 to see if Allen will finally make it into the Hall of Fame.
“After speaking with the Phillies and Mr. Allen’s family, I am introducing this resolution to show that Council and Philadelphians support having him in the Baseball Hall of Fame,” Johnson said. “Allen is not just one of the greatest players in Phillies history but is considered the Phillies first African American superstar. His statistics alone show that he is long overdue to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame.”
A seven-time Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star, Allen spent nine of his 15 major league seasons (1963-77) with the Phillies and won National League Rookie of the Year in 1964. During his time with the club, Allen batted .290 with 204 doubles, 204 home runs, 655 runs batted in, a .371 on-base percentage and a .530 slugging percentage (.902 OPS) in 1,070 games. His slugging percentage is second-best in Phillies history, behind only Hall of Famer Chuck Klein (.553), and he ranks 10th in home runs.
Allen, whose No. 15 was retired by the club in September 2020, became one of the all-time greats in Phillies history after being signed by the team in 1960 to his first professional contract. He joined the Phillies front office in 1994 as a fan development representative and, later, a club ambassador. Allen passed away on Dec. 7, 2020, at the age of 78.
Allen is only the ninth member of the franchise in its 140-plus-year history to have his jersey retired. The other Phillies alumni to be so honored also have plaques hanging in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. – Richie Ashburn (#1), Jim Bunning (#14), Mike Schmidt (#20), Steve Carlton (#32), Roy Halladay (#34), Robin Roberts (#36), Allen, as well as Grover Cleveland Alexander and Chuck Klein.
The legacy of Mr. Allen will continue for generations to come, thanks to the newly named Dick Allen Field at the Phillies MLB Urban Youth Academy that was dedicated last week at FDR Park in South Philadelphia, which is in Johnson’s Second District. Johnson participated in the dedication.
“The Dick Allen Field is another great reminder for our next generation of players of what he endured as an African American player while still achieving great success,” Johnson said. “Dick Allen’s legacy will never be forgotten.”
Former Phillies player Dickie Ray Noles came to City Council and spoke in support of the resolution.
Noles was an MLB pitcher with several teams during his career and played for the Phillies from 1979 to 1981 and again in 1990. He was also a member of the 1980 World Series championship team, pitching in relief. Noles was a player in the minor leagues when he was first introduced to Allen; the two later became good friends.
Currently Noles is the Phillies’ employee assistance professional and is in his 32nd season with the club.
One copy of the approved resolution will be given to the Phillies so they can send it to the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s “Golden Days Era Committee” and a second copy will be given to Allen’s family to show them that City Council supports their effort to get their loved one into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson represents the Second Council District, which includes parts of Center City, South Philadelphia, and Southwest Philadelphia. He is Chairman of City Council’s Special Committee on Gun Violence Prevention.
###
