Rob Butcher
Cincinnati Reds’ VP Media Relations

CINCINNATI — Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds has won this year’s Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, sponsored by the Phi Delta Theta International Fraternity, headquartered in Oxford, Ohio.
Phi Delta Theta presents the award annually to a Major League Baseball player who best exemplifies the giving character of Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig, a member of the Fraternity’s Columbia University chapter.
The award was first presented in 1955 and is permanently maintained at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York.
A team of representatives from Phi Delta Theta will present the award to Votto on Friday, July 27, when the Reds host to the Philadelphia Phillies.
“Joey Votto is a leader in our clubhouse and sets the example for our players on how to conduct themselves on and off the field,” said Dick Williams, Cincinnati Reds’ President of Baseball Operations and General Manager.
“His engagement in the community has quietly encouraged others on our team to do the same. We congratulate him on this award.”
Votto is the fifth member of the Cincinnati Reds to win the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award: Pete Rose (1969), Johnny Bench (1975), Barry Larkin (1994), and Danny Graves (2002).
Past recipients of the award include Stan Musial, Ernie Banks, Hank Aaron, Harmon Killebrew, Willie Stargell, Lou Brock, George Brett, Ozzie Smith, Cal Ripken, Jr., Tony Gwynn, Albert Pujols, Derek Jeter and many more.
More about the history of the award can be found at www.lougehrigaward.org.