Charlie Manuel receives Most Courageous Sportsperson Award from Philadelphia Sports Writers Association

Charlie Manuel, the winningest manager in Philadelphia Phillies history, was honored with the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association’s Most Courageous Sportsperson Award for his battle and recovery following a stroke he suffered in 2023. The 2008 World Series champion accepted the award on Thursday night at the PSWA’s annual banquet at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Cherry Hill, N.J.

“Life is kind of hard,” Manuel said in a speech. “You go down some rough roads, but you gotta stay in there and you can’t give up.”

After suffering a stroke during a procedure in September 2023, Manuel faced physical deficits and issues with his speech. With the help of his medical team, physical therapists, speech therapists, his wife, Missy, and family, the former big leaguer started the path to recovery. He began to walk again after a few days, and his speech improved greatly over the course of several months.

Baseball was a motivator for Manuel. He wanted to return to watching baseball games — from Little League to the majors — and get back to his job as a senior advisor with the Phillies. Discussing the sport helped Manuel make serious strides with his speech. Manuel, still improving, can now be seen frequently at Citizens Bank Park and other ballparks once again.

“I love the game, and I love to talk the game,” Manuel said. “I’m proud to be here tonight, and I’m going to get much better with my speech. I’m not ashamed or nothing like that, but at the same time I know I gotta work on it more.”

Manuel, who called the Phillies “the team to beat” in the National League East and said that “2025 is going to be the year” for the club, was one of several Phillies figured honored at the 120th PSWA banquet. Former owner and chairman Bill Giles was present to accept the Philadelphia Living Sports Legend Award, the late Dick Allen received a Special Achievement Award, which was accepted by his son, Richard Allen Jr., for his recent election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and current slugger Kyle Schwarber received the Ed Snider Humanitarian Award, which he accepted via video.

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