Brief
Johnny Bench, the legendary baseball player named "Catcher of the Century" by the Major Leagues, will be the keynote speaker for the 2006 Hutch Award Luncheon in February.
Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989, Bench's honors include National League Rookie of the Year (1968), National League Most Valuable Player (1970 and 1972), World Series MVP (1976), Baseball Hall of Fame (1989), 14-time All Star, and 10 consecutive Gold Gloves. Bench received the Hutch Award in 1981.
From childhood, Bench dreamed of becoming a professional player, taking his father's advice to focus on catching. His stellar career began when he made the Cincinnati Reds' roster for the 1968 season.
Since retiring from baseball in 1983, Bench has honed his skills in network sports broadcasting and entertainment, dividing his personal time between speaking engagements, celebrity golf tournaments and charitable fund-raisers.
Funds raised through the Hutch Award Luncheon go to the Center's Gregory Fund for early cancer-detection research, which was established in 2003 in collaboration with The Moyer Foundation.
The Hutch Award was established in 1965 and is given annually to a major-league baseball player who best exemplifies the fighting spirit and competitive desire of baseball great Fred Hutchinson. Past Hutch Award winners include Jamie Moyer, Trevor Hoffman, Mickey Mantle, Sandy Koufax and Carl Yastremski.
The 2006 Hutch Award winner will be named in December and honored at the seventh-annual Hutch Award Luncheon, from noon to 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 1, at Safeco Field. General Motors Corporation is the presenting sponsor of the luncheon. For more information or to register, visit www.fhcrc.org/hutchaward or call (206) 667-3789.
