Sally was born in Roystone (Route 6 past Sheffield), attended business school in Buffalo, went to work at Fuller, Smith, & Ross in Pittsburgh (1947), and took a job with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1964. In her public relation position, she has outlasted 4 team presidents, 5 general managers, 6 managers, and 7 bosses. Art Rooney St. used to introduce Sally to everyone as 'the girl who runs the Pirates.' Sally's 30+ years working for the Pittsburgh Pirates are filled with memories and a collection of memorabilia from greats such as: Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Danny Murtaugh, Bill Virdon, and Chuck Tanner. Sally's favorite former "Pirate", however, was Bob Prince, who pushed for the team to hire her in 1964 and made her his personal secretary to supplement her income. A member of the Public Relations department, Sally was deservedly recognized for her outstanding work. She was inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1987 and was the first woman to receive the “Pride of the Pirates” award in 1998. In 2013, she was the first recipient of what is now called the “Sally O’Leary Distinguished Woman Baseball Award” at the annual Chuck Tanner Awards Banquet. As her speech that night indicated, her baseball life could only be described as “unbelievable.”
