Friends of Hinchliffe Stadium honored with 2021 SABR Russell Gabay Award
The Friends of Hinchliffe Stadium organization is the 2021 recipient of the SABR Russell Gabay Award, which honors entities or persons who have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to baseball in New Jersey.
“This group has done a yeoman’s job in spearheading the efforts to refurbish the Paterson, New Jersey ballpark that saw many Negro League teams play in their heyday. The stadium debuted in 1932. This year, it’s expected to undergo massive massive refurbishment and restoration to former glory,” said David Krell, chair of SABR’s Elysian Fields Chapter in New Jersey.
The Russell Gabay Award was established by SABR’s New Jersey-based Elysian Fields Chapter and Goose Goslin Chapter.
Gabay was a noted sports producer and a native of Springfield, New Jersey. He began his career in the late 1970s, producing for ESPN after graduating from University of Hartford. He later became a Production Manager at HBO, where he supervised several shows, including Inside the NFL, documentaries, and championship fights. Until his sudden death in 2016, Russell was a high-level producer at Major League Baseball Network for more than a decade. He was known throughout the sports industry as a gentleman and a true professional whose generosity knew no bounds, whether towards people trying to break into the business or veterans with several decades of experience.
To learn more about the Russell Gabay Award, click here.
Originally published: February 2, 2021. Last Updated: February 2, 2021.