Roger Bossard
| Roger Bossard | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1949 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Purdue University |
| Occupation | Groundskeeper for Chicago White Sox and Consultant for Major League Baseball |
| Parent(s) | Gene Bossard |
Roger Bossard is the current Chicago White Sox head groundskeeper at U.S. Cellular Field.
Roger joined the White Sox in 1967 working as an assistant to his father, Gene Bossard, and became the official Head Groundskeeper when his father retired in 1983. Roger is known amongst the industry as "The Sodfather",[1] and is highly influential in the development of new ballparks.
Roger's revolutionary drainage and irrigation system is unparalleled in the stadium-building industry and his patented system has been used in the creation of numerous stadiums including, Arizona, Boston, Detroit, Milwaukee, St. Louis (both old and new Busch Stadium), Seattle and Washington, and both Chicago ballparks (Wrigley Field and U.S. Cellular Field), as well as spring training complexes for the Cincinnati Reds,the Montreal Expos, the New York Yankees, the St. Louis Cardinals,the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox.[2]
In 1984-85, Roger Bossard designed and built the first natural turf soccer fields in Saudi Arabia for the Royal Family.[3]
Nineteen of 30 major-league teams use a patented drainage system that Bossard developed specifically for the opening of U.S Cellular Field in 1991.[4]
On Sunday, June 12, 2011, the Chicago White Sox gave out Roger Bossard bobblehead dolls to the first 20,000 fans in attendance vs. the Oakland Athletics. ,[5]
References
- ↑ Thomas, Mike (April 2008). "The Sodfather". Smithsonian magazine.
- ↑ http://mlb.mlb.com/cws/team/exe_bios/bossard_roger.html
- ↑ http://mlb.mlb.com/cws/team/exe_bios/bossard_roger.html
- ↑ http://mlb.mlb.com/cws/team/exe_bios/bossard_roger.html
- ↑ "2011 Chicago White Sox Promotional Schedule". Whitesox.com. April 2011.