The University of Delaware community remembers alumnus Dallas Green, a UD Hall of Fame member and Major League Baseball icon, who passed away March 22, 2017, at the age of 82 after a long illness.

Mr. Green, a star baseball pitcher and basketball player with the Blue Hens in the 1950s, went on to a long professional career in the Major Leagues as a player, manager and executive. He led the Philadelphia Philies to team's first World Series championship in 1980.

A native of Newport, Delaware, and a 1956 graduate of UD, Mr. Green was inducted into the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame in 1983, the state of Delaware Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994 and UD Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998. He received UD’s Medal of Distinction in 1992.

"Dallas was a great friend to the University of Delaware and our baseball program,” said Delaware head coach Jim Sherman. “He donated a scholarship in his name, and he was at alumni and social events involving the team over many years. He was personally supportive to me and was always available to talk baseball when I needed some advice. He will surely be missed by the entire Blue Hen Baseball family.”

At Delaware, Mr. Green posted a pitching record of 6-0 with a school-record 0.88 ERA in 1955 and was also a standout on the 1954 team for head coach Bob Siemen. As a 6-5 center in basketball, Green averaged 9.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game over two seasons in 1953-55 for head coaches Fred Emmerson and Irv Wisniewski.

He later signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Phillies and played in 185 major league games over 13 seasons for the Phillies, Washington Senators and New York Mets before moving to the scouting and coaching ranks.

A gregarious personality with a famously booming voice, Mr. Green helped build the Phillies farm system in the 1970s and later led the franchise to its first World Series championship in 1980. He managed the Phillies in 1979-81, served as skipper for the New York Yankees for one season in 1989 and later was manager of the New York Mets in 1993-96.

He served as general manager of the Chicago Cubs in 1982-98 and was named Executive of the Year by several news outlets in 1984.

He returned to the Phillies in 1998 and served as a special assistant to the general manager until recently.

"There's very few people who were more synonymous with the Phillies than Dallas, and yet for 15 years he went elsewhere," Phillies chairman Dave Montgomery told MLB.com. "The first time you meet him, I mean, what a presence. He filled the room with his presence."

Mr. Green is survived by his wife of 59 years, Sylvia, four children and five grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, April 1, at the Chase Center on the Riverfront, 815 Justison Street, Wilmington, Delaware.

Memorial contributions may be made to Magee Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation, 1531 Race Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102 or to the University of Delaware Men's Baseball Program, Gifts Processing, 83 East Main St, 3rd Floor, Newark, DE 19716. Checks should be payable to "University of Delaware" and include on the memo line "in memory of Dallas Green." Gifts also can be made on the University of Delaware secure website.

Condolences may be left online.