Induced into the Pawtucket Hall of Fame in 1993
Inducted into the RI Heritage Hall of Fame in 2015
Over his lifetime, George Patrick Duffy distinguished himself as the Publicity Director and radio voice of the RI Reds, as a successful coach of youth sports in his community, a constant friend and supporter of disadvantaged and challenged children, and a civic leader of his native city of Pawtucket, RI.
George was born in Pawtucket in 1922, one of the seven children of Frederick and Emma (Locklin) Duffy. The Duffy family survived the Great Depression during which time George attended Pawtucket High School where he became a three-sport star.
After high school, George served in the Coast Guard during World War II, an experience he later related he “was lucky to survive.” His ship, the U.S.S. Minges, was torpedoed on May 3, 1944 by a German submarine, killing 31 sailors and wounding 75 more. This brush with death remained a vivid memory for George for the remainder of his long life.
He married his childhood sweetheart, Helen Richards, late in 1944. In 1945, at war’s end, George signed on with the Rhode Island Reds, the state’s popular professional hockey team, to announce its games. For the next 25 years he performed that task with his Irish wit and “gift of gab” both at home in the RI Auditorium and at rinks throughout the American Hockey League circuit.
When not in the broadcast booth, George was serving as the team’s Publicity Director, helping to build the club’s strong and admiring relationship with the press and fans, alike. In 2007, these labors of love earned him induction into the Reds Hall of Fame.
George, an athlete himself, did much more than describe the exploits of other athletes.
His tenure with the Reds was interrupted for a time when George accepted an invitation to promote Eddie Feigner’s famous “King & his Court” 4-man softball team and even labored for a while at the building of the Newport Bridge before returning to the Reds’ front office and broadcast booth in the late ‘60s.
For over 70 years, George immersed himself in coaching and mentoring the youth of Pawtucket whether at St. Raphael Academy, the Pawtucket Boys and Girls Club, or in the Little League, where he guided his Darlington neighborhood team to the 1980 World Series in Williamsport, PA. He even coached softball for a while at Bryant College.
But George did more than hone the skills of agile and athletic youngsters. He was named Ryder Transportations “Driver of the Year” for his many years driving local handicapped children back and forth to school. George’s daughter, Susan Leach, observed that “nothing made him feel better than helping those kids.”
George died on May 23, 2015, clutching a baseball in one hand, according to an account from his loving family. He was 94 years old and survived by Helen, his wife of 71 years, 5 children, 15 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren.
The City of Pawtucket recognized George’s lifetime contributions to his city by naming the baseball fields at Slater Park the “George Patrick Duffy Athletic Complex,” and honored him with induction into the Pawtucket Hall of Fame.
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