Tony Conigliaro Award
From BR Bullpen
The Tony Conigliaro Award is a annual award created in 1990 by the Boston Red Sox to honor the memory of their former star Tony Conigliaro. Conigliaro whose career was tragically shortened when he was hit in the face by a pitch in 1967 and would later die from a heart attack at 45. It is given to a Major League Baseball player who best overcomes an obstacle and adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination and courage that were trademarks of Conigliaro.
A special panel is composed of the media, representatives of the commissioner and the two leagues' offices as well as Conigliaro's brothers Billy and Richie make the selection. Announcement of the award is made at the annual major league winter meetings in December and the formal presentation takes place at the Boston Baseball Writers Association dinner in January.
[edit] Award Winners
| Year | Player | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Jim Eisenreich | Tourette syndrome |
| 1991 | Dickie Thon | Recovered from a beaning in 1984 very similar to Conigliaro's |
| 1992 | Jim Abbott | Born without a right hand |
| 1993 | Bo Jackson | Came back from hip replacement surgery in 1992 |
| 1994 | Mark Leiter | Lost 9-month-old son to Werdnig-Hoffman disease during offseason |
| 1995 | Scott Radinsky | Came back from Hodgkin's disease |
| 1996 | Curtis Pride | Deaf from birth |
| 1997 | Eric Davis | Came back after diagnosis of colon cancer early that season |
| 1998 | Bret Saberhagen | Came back from serious shoulder injuries |
| 1999 | Mike Lowell | Came back from testicular cancer |
| 2000 | Kent Mercker | Came back from cerebral hemorrhage |
| Tony Saunders | Came back after breaking his arm while throwing a pitch | |
| 2001 | Graeme Lloyd | Wife suffered from Crohn's disease, which would cause her death in 2004 |
| Jason Johnson | Johnson is a Type 1 diabetic who wears an insulin pump on the field | |
| 2002 | José Rijo | Came back after five years out of baseball with serious elbow injuries |
| 2003 | Jim Mecir | Born with two club feet |
| 2004 | Dewon Brazelton | Underwent reconstructive knee surgery and Tommy John surgery before graduating from high school |
| 2005 | Aaron Cook | Came back after surgery in 2004 to remove blood clots from both lungs |
| 2006 | Freddy Sanchez | Born with a club foot (right) and pigeon toed foot (left) |
| 2007 | Jon Lester | Diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2006 |
| 2008 | Rocco Baldelli | Diagnosed with a mitochondrial disorder that causes muscle fatigue |
