William Richard Lajoie

William Richard Lajoie (September 27, 1934 – December 28, 2010) was a professional baseball player, manager, scout and front-office executive. He was general manager of the Detroit Tigers from 1984 to 1990, and helped build the team that won the 1984 World Series. Born in Wyandotte, Michigan, Lajoie attended Western Michigan University, earning a bachelor of science degree in 1955. A first team All-American athlete at WMU, he was signed by the Baltimore Orioles organization following graduation. After a nine-year playing career as a minor league outfielder in farm systems of the Orioles, Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds and Minnesota Twins, Lajoie became a scout and minor league manager with Cincinnati. He then joined the Tigers organization in 1969 as a member of the scouting department. By 1979 he was named the assistant general manager to Tigers GM Jim Campbell. During his time as GM, Lajoie is credited with several transactions that helped the Tigers to the 1984 World Series championship and a 1987 division title. Notable transactions include signing aging veteran Darrell Evans in 1984; Kirk Gibson leaving as a free agent; and trading John Smoltz for Doyle Alexander in 1987. While ridiculed by Detroit fans now, the Smoltz trade helped the Tigers make the playoffs in 1987, as Alexander posted 9 wins and 0 losses in 11 starts, with a 1.53 ERA. Smoltz, at the time, was a lightly regarded prospect in the low minor leagues. After an internal power struggle in 1990, he resigned and was replaced as Tigers GM by his assistant, Joe McDonald. At the time of his death at age 76 near Sarasota, Florida,[1] Lajoie was Senior Advisor-Baseball Operations of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He also served as a special assistant or consultant to the Atlanta Braves (1991-2000), Milwaukee Brewers (2001-2002), Boston Red Sox (2003-2006) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2006-2009). Lajoie played a high-profile consulting role in the Boston front office during the brief interregnum between November 2005 and February 2006 caused by the temporary resignation of Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein. He headed the Red Sox delegation to the 2005 winter baseball meetings and was instrumental in the multi-player trade with the Florida Marlins that netted pitcher Josh Beckett. However, upon Epstein’s return, Lajoie resigned, and a few weeks later became a top advisor to Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti, where he acquired his nickname the “Godfather”. He joined Pittsburgh in a similar role in January 2009, assisting GM Neal Huntington.[2] In 1982, Bill Lajoie was honored with a distinguished alumni award from the Western Michigan University Alumni Association. In 1991 he was named to the Mid-American Conference Hall Of Fame. He was honored as the East Coast Scout of the Year in 2004. William was born on September 27, 1934 to Thomas and Ladyne Lajoie. He passed away on December 28, 2010 at his home in Osprey, Florida. He is survived by his wife, Mary; a sister: Mary Ann Lajoie-Sandroff (Howard) of Wilmette IL.; Children, William Jon (Jill) of Canton MI, Jeffrey Thomas (Teri) of Gilbert AZ, Julie Lynne of Farmington Hills MI.; grandchildren, Clayton, Adam, Amy, Alex, Miranda and great granddaughter, Ryan Elizabeth. He is also survived by stepchildren Chris Levitt (Sheri), Willie Levitt (Katy), Matt Levitt, Karen Levitt, Laurene Levitt and grandchildren, Peter, Philip, Elizabeth and Meghan. The Lajoie family will be holding a private ceremony in the Detroit area in celebration of Bill’s life and there will be a memorial service held in Bradenton, Florida in late February or early March. The Pittsburgh Pirates will provide details as they come available. In lieu of flowers, the Lajoie family asks those interested to please make a donation to Mike Gary Athletic Fund for the Bill Lajoie Memorial Baseball Fund, c/o Athletic Fund, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008. Farley Funeral Home in Venice, Florida is handling the arrangements.