Ceremony to commemorate renovation of Jim Fanning Field in Iowa

The late Jim Fanning was a prominent manager and executive with the Montreal Expos for more than 25 years. He was elected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

A ceremony will be held in Hartley, Iowa on September 20 to commemorate the renovation of a ball field named after late Montreal Expos manager and Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Jim Fanning.

Fanning’s wife Marie, who resides in London, Ont. and son, Frank, will be present at the ceremony.

Fanning grew up in Monetta, Iowa and never forgot his roots. Some of his closest friends, as well as members of his extended family, still reside in the region.

Serving as a player, manager, executive and community ambassador, Fanning spent over 60 years in professional baseball. The Chicago Cubs signed him as a catcher in 1949 and he played 64 games over four seasons, before pursuing a managing career. After managerial stops in Tulsa, Dallas, Eau Claire and Greenville, John McHale, hired him as a special assignment scout for the Milwaukee Braves in 1963. The following year Fanning was promoted to assistant general manager, a post he would hold until 1967.

By this time, Fanning’s scouting skills had impressed many, including those in Major League Baseball’s head office, and in 1968, he was hired to be the first scouting director of Major League Baseball’s Scouting Bureau. But Fanning’s tenure at that position would be a short one. In August 1968, he was named the first general manager of the Montreal Expos.

Jim Fanning (left) and fellow Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer John McHale (right) show off the newly designed Montreal Expos cap in December 1968. Photo Credit: Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame

In his 25-year tenure with the Expos, Fanning helped build the franchise from scratch and served in several different capacities, including vice-president, scout and even two stints as the field manager (1981-82, 1984). When Fanning took over as the field boss in 1981, he had drafted or helped develop the skills of 21 players on the roster. The respected baseball man would guide the Expos to their first and only playoff berth in 1981, leading the team to within one win of advancing to the World Series.

In his quarter century with the Expos, he established himself as one of baseball’s best talent evaluators, counting fellow Canadian Baseball Hall of Famers Larry Walker, Steve Rogers and Tim Wallach among the players he helped sign. He also played an important role in signing Andres Galarraga and Randy Johnson for the club.

After leaving the Expos in 1993, he was hired as a special assignment scout with the Colorado Rockies.

Jim Fanning (left) with Toronto Blue Jays legend George Bell at Bell’s induction into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013. Photo Credit: Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame

Later in his life, Fanning resided in London, Ont., and officially became a Canadian citizen in February 2012. He served as a community ambassador for the Toronto Blue Jays until he passed away on April 25, 2015 at age 87.

The renovations to Jim Fanning Field in Hartley, Iowa have been made possible through a partnership between Cenex® / Cooperative Energy Company and the Minnesota Twins. The project is part of the Fields for Kids program, which awards grants to improve youth athletic facilities across the upper Midwest in the U.S.