The Arizona Diamondbacks will honor the legacy of Mike Kennedy, the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation’s founding Board President for nearly 25 years, with the naming of the “Mike Kennedy Diamonds Back Field Building Program” as well as “Mike Kennedy Field” in Goodyear (previously the D-votion Field, dedicated in 2008).
READ ALSO: Michael Kennedy, co-founder of Gallagher & Kennedy, has died
The announcement was made at the 14th annual “Evening On The Diamond,” as the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation eclipsed $75 million in charitable contributions raised and donated to the Arizona community since the Foundation’s inception in 1997.
Michael Kennedy, the co-founding partner, shareholder and member of the board of directors of Gallagher & Kennedy, died in February after a courageous battle with liver cancer. He was the passionate force behind the “Diamonds Back” Field Building Program, Ken Kendrick Grand Slam Awards, youth sports and education programs and so much more.
Kennedy’s life of servant leadership impacted the Arizona professional sports community. He was instrumental in bringing the D-backs to Arizona, and his visionary leadership set the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation on a course to become an industry-leading sports foundation and community asset.
Kennedy never missed a field dedication and his emotional words echoed his promise the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation would be a force for good in Arizona. He helped the Foundation raise the funds it needed to build a legacy, and was a passionate advocate for grants and gifts to support our most vulnerable in the community. He took great pride in ensuring the Foundation’s impact would reach every community in Arizona.
His legacy lives on in the programs we created, the projects built, and the opportunities provided for children to learn and play the game he so loved.
