Richie Phillips

Who was Richie Phillips?

Richard G. Phillips was the former general counsel and executive director of the 52-member Major League Umpires Association, having held those positions from 1978 to 2000. He is most notable for recommending that the union baseball umpires resign en masse effective September 2, 1999 to leverage enhanced benefits for union umpires. This decision ultimately turned out to be devastating to the umpires, as Major League Baseball accepted most of their resignations, terminating their employment and promoting replacement umpires from the minor leagues. The umpires later voted to decertify the union, replacing it with the World Umpires Association. He had also served in the same positions for the National Association of Basketball Referees.

He was born in Philadelphia to a police officer. Phillips graduated from St. Thomas More High School and received both his undergraduate and law degrees from Villanova University in Radnor Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. While in college, he played varsity football and later returned to coach the freshman football eleven while attending law school. Phillips was admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania in 1967.