H eadlines
Sixers Superfan Returns $1M of Memorabilia
to Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Bench
L OCA L
SOPHIE PANZER | JE STAFF
WHAT’S THE PERFECT gift
to celebrate a lifelong friendship?
If you’re Alan Horwitz, it’s
buying your buddy Johnny
Bench’s baseball memorabilia
at auction and returning the
items to him and his family.

The Philadelphia real estate
developer behind Campus
Apartments and famous
Philadelphia 76ers “Sixth Man”
fan bid $1 million for various
awards, trophies and equipment
garnered by the Cincinnati Reds’
Hall of Fame catcher over the
course of his baseball career.

Horwitz, 76, and Bench, 73,
first met on Christmas vacation
in San Juan, Puerto Rico, before
Bench started playing for the
Reds during the 1967 season.

Back then, Horwitz was 23 and
just starting out in Philadelphia
real estate, and Bench was 19.

“After that, for the next 16
seasons, I met Johnny at every
spring training in Tampa and,
along with his fans, watched
him play at All-Star Games,
World Series games and, of
course, witnessed his Hall of
Fame induction,” Horwitz said
in a press release from Hunt
Auctions, the Exton auction
house that ran the 17th annual
Louisville Slugger Museum &
Factory live auction on Nov. 14.

They struck up a friendship
that lasted for years. Whenever the
Reds were playing in Philadelphia,
Horwitz would arrange lunch or
dinner and Bench would give him
tickets to the game.

Horwitz is first and
foremost a basketball fan, but
this friendship moved him to
bid on baseball memorabilia.

“When I learned of the
auction of Johnny’s memorabilia
I felt compelled to participate,
with the goal to return some of
the items to the Bench family
and Johnny’s fans,” he said in
the press release.

He told Action Network he
wanted his friend to keep the
recognition he deserved.

“There was no way I was going
to let Johnny sell these to collec-
tors. Seeing how hard he worked
to be recognized that way he was
after all these years,” he said.

Bench, speaking on The
Dan Patrick Show, said Hunt
didn’t use Horwitz’s name
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JEWISH EXPONENT
when he shared the results of
the auction. Instead, he told
him the buyer asked to remain
anonymous, but requested that
Hunt tell Bench the gift was
from “a white-haired old Jew.”
Bench only knew one white-
haired old Jew — and was
immediately overwhelmed.

“David Hunt called me after
the auction and asked, ‘Are
you sitting down?’” he said
in the Hunt Auctions press
release. “When I heard this, I
was flabbergasted and moved
to tears. I am truly stunned
by Alan’s generous gesture and
am grateful and proud that
these trophies and memorabilia
pieces will be on display for
millions of fans to experience.”
He told Patrick he texted
Horwitz once he had composed
himself to ask if it was all true.

“Let me know if I’m barking
up the wrong Jew,” he joked.

Horwitz confirmed he wasn’t.

Bench told The Associated
Press in October that he planned
to use the proceeds to fund his
youngest sons’ college education.

Bench’s collection consisted
of materials dating from his
minor league career until
after his final MLB season
in 1983. Horwitz bought 35
items, including Bench’s 1968
Rookie of the Year Award, 1969
All-Star Game bat, 1970 and
1972 National League MVP
Awards, 1975 and 1976 World
Series rings, and several of
Bench’s 10 Gold Glove Awards.

Horwitz’s purchases
accounted for approximately
half the sale of $2 million,
Hunt Auctions reported.

Bench and his family have
decided to have the items
displayed to the public in institu-
tions like the National Baseball
Hall of Fame and Museum, the
Reds Hall of Fame and Museum,
Oklahoma Hall of Fame and
the Johnny Bench Museum
in the player’s hometown of
Binger, Oklahoma.

Johnny Bench’s 1975 World Series
ring Courtesy of Hunt Auctions
“There really are no words
that can properly describe the
generous act of kindness by Alan
Horwitz,” said David Hunt,
president of Hunt Auctions, in
his statement. “While the items
that Alan purchased totaled over
$1 million in value, I think what
is most poignant is the purpose
behind the gesture. Alan not
only wished to see these incred-
ible baseball artifacts displayed
for Johnny’s family and fans, but
he made it a reality. Through
his immense personal success
in the business world he never
lost sight of his friendship with
Johnny and, in turn, enacted one
of the most generous endeavors
that I have witnessed in my
professional career.”
Horwitz did have one condi-
tion for Bench.

“Alan’s only request was
to meet my boys, which will
happen as soon as we can
resume safe travel,” Bench said.

The Bench items aren’t
Horwitz’s only major giving
project this month.

On Dec. 13, he launched
Sixth Man Shop, a sportswear
store whose proceeds go to local
Philadelphia nonprofits on a
rotating basis. The store stocks
custom Sixth Man T-shirts,
hats, sweatshirts and other
gear. The first organization it
will support is Philadelphia
Youth Basketball. l
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