HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, NJ…The Babe Ruth International Board of Directors during their recent annual meeting, unanimously elected George Lally of Norwood, Massachusetts into its Hall of Fame.
Babe Ruth League, Inc. has more than just top of the line competition. It has a legacy stacked with thousands of alumni who have given unselfishly of their time and resources to provide all young athletes with an enjoyable, healthy and educational experience. Babe Ruth League established a Hall of Fame in 1968 to honor those superstars who have played a vital role in the development of the baseball and softball program for young people 4-18 years of age. George Lally is one of those superstars.
Though he was unable to make the Babe Ruth team as a teenager, George Lally has been involved in just about every other aspect of the game since 1962, when he first became involved with the Babe Ruth League program.
Lally’s early involvement with Babe Ruth League was as a coach, umpire, League Vice President and League President in the South Boston area. As a League President, he expanded the number of teams in the league so that every player who tried out was selected to a team.
In 1970, Lally was elected State Commissioner for the Massachusetts Babe Ruth Leagues. With Lally as State Commissioner, the Massachusetts Babe Ruth program led the nation in new teams and new leagues, as well as in the retention of existing leagues, furthering Lally’s mission to provide a place for every player who wished to participate in the Babe Ruth program.
He was elected New England Regional Commissioner in 1975 and an automatic member of the International Babe Ruth League Board of Directors. Lally has been continuously re-elected to the Board of Directors, now serving as an At-Large Member.
Lally, along with the late Bob Curran (who served as Chairman of the Babe Ruth League Board of Directors), was instrumental in establishing an ongoing relationship for Babe Ruth League with the Boston Red Sox, the Jimmy Fund and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Since 1969, the Boston Red Sox have invited New England Regional Babe Ruth coaches to participate in a clinic at Fenway Park. Throughout the morning, the Babe Ruth coaches are given the opportunity to meet with and receive instructional guidance from the Boston Red Sox Major League Staff. Later in the day, the coaches are invited back to watch the game. In addition, the Jimmy Fund solely supports Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, raising funds for adult and pediatric cancer care. The New England Babe Ruth Leagues have raised millions of dollars for the Jimmy Fund through the charitable efforts of the Boston Red Sox and many Babe Ruth League volunteers.
George Lally has said many times that Babe Ruth Baseball has been a part of his life as long as he can remember. Lally even met his wife at a Babe Ruth League State Tournament, and one of his sons turned down a college scholarship from another college to attend the University of Notre Dame, a place Lally fell in love with during a Babe Ruth tournament.
Lally continues to be inspired by Babe Ruth coaches and what they do for countless youth in this country, such as providing them with many memorable and enjoyable moments and teaching them many valuable life lessons. Following in their path, Lally has introduced thousands of players to our national pastime with the hope they enjoy it just as much and reap as many benefits as he has.
Babe Ruth League President/CEO Steven Tellefsen said, “Being named to the Babe Ruth League Hall of Fame speaks volumes about George Lally and his many years of service to the Babe Ruth program. His sincere love and devotion for Babe Ruth League and its young participants comes from his heart. I have known George for many years and he is truly a selfless and amazing human-being, always there to honor and give credit to others that came before him. His character and lifelong service and commitment to the program more than justifies this honor being bestowed upon him.”
Lally joins more than 200 individuals and organizations who have earned the distinction of being inducted into the Babe Ruth League, Inc. International Hall of Fame.
Babe Ruth League, Inc. is a non-profit, educational organization dedicated to developing better citizens by providing properly supervised baseball and softball competition for 4 through 18-year-old players. It is the basic intent of Babe Ruth League that every player who has a desire to play the sport is given the opportunity to participate and have fun.
