Harold Craw Named 2020 Distinguished Achievement Award Honoree
Harold Craw has been named Executive Vice-President and General Manager of the Miami Marlins affiliate the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.
According to the news release, Harold was honored in 2017 when he was voted the Southern League Jimmy Bragan Executive of the Year by the general managers of the league member clubs, becoming the first African-American to win Executive of the Year for any league in Minor League Baseball.
After the team rebranded in 2016, the team experienced a 23 percent increase in attendance for the inaugural Jumbo Shrimp season in 2017 under Harold’s leadership – the largest increase for any Double-A club. The club’s July 3 crowds of 11,762 in 2018 and 11,429 in 2019 are the two largest over the last 10 years at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.The Jumbo Shrimp welcomed a total attendance of 327,388 in 2019, the best total attendance in the first three Jumbo Shrimp seasons.
During Harold’s tenure in Jacksonville, the team has garnered awards like the Southern League’s 2017 Don Mincher Organization of the Year and two circuit Promotional Trophies in 2017 and 2019.
And it’s not just about the sports! A new ballpark menu features more than a dozen shrimp options and led to an appearance on the Travel Channel show “Food Paradise.” And, among other honors and recognitions, the Jumbo Shrimp Neck Pillow Giveaway was named the top Minor League Baseball giveaway item by MLB.com Cut4.
Harold has also worked for the Johnson City Cardinals, Charleston RiverDogs, Quad Cities River Bandits and Chattanooga Lookouts prior to going to Jacksonville. While with Charleston, he was twice recognized by the South Atlantic League as Sales Executive of the Year and also for his work in community relations. Craw has been active in volunteering in each community he has lived in, co-founding and co-chairing the Charleston RBI Baseball League and mentoring middle school youth throughout Jacksonville’s Duval County Public Schools 5000 Role Models program.
The E&H Alumni Association named Harold Craw the 2020 Distinguished Achievement honoree.
(We thank MILB.com for this good information, and encourage you to read the full press release here.)
- Harold Craw, E&H Class of 1999, General Manager for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.