Dick Flavin Obituary, Funeral

Dick Flavin, an American poet best known as the “poet laureate of the Boston Red Sox”, as well the team’s public address announcer and a journalist, TV commentator and playwright has died.

Flavin was born on December 7, 1936 and died on December 28, 2022. He was 86 years.

Flavin, who was born in Boston and grew up in neighboring Quincy, Mass, attended Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree, and Stonehill College.

Flavin became the press spokesman for the Massachusetts State Democratic Committee in 1963, and a speechwriter for several Democratic politicians, including Ted Kennedy.

He went on to become press secretary for the president of the Massachusetts Senate and, in 1967, for the successful campaign of Kevin White for Mayor of Boston.

In 1970, Flavin left politics for political reporting, becoming political editor and reporter for the WNAC-TV in Boston before moving to WBZ-TV in 1973, where he spent 14 years as a commentator.

It was while at WBZ that he was nominated for 14 New England Regional Emmy Awards, winning seven times.

In 1987, Flavin left television to spend all his time on the lecture circuit.

His work as a broadcaster was honored in 2011 with his induction into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

Flavin wrote a lot of poems about the Red Sox, and was eventually named their ‘poet laureate’.

In 2013, Flavin was also named the public address announcer for day games at Fenway Park.

In 2015, he compiled his poems into a book, Red Sox Rhymes: Verses and Curses, which was praised by notable Red Sox fans including Doris Kearns Goodwin and Michael Dukakis.

In a promotional video, Flavin said the book could teach “everything you want to know about the Red Sox, and it does it all in verse.”

The book appeared on the New York Times sports bestseller list in August and September 2015.

Details of his funeral will be announced by his family in due course.