Hall of Fame Major League Baseball manager, Bobby Cox, who helped lead the Atlanta Braves to the Georgia city’s first professional sports title in 1995, has passed away at the age of 84. The Braves released a statement confirming his death, saying, “Bobby was a favorite among all in the baseball community, especially those who played for him.”
“His wealth of knowledge on player development and the intricacies of managing the game were rewarded with the sport’s ultimate prize in 2014 – enshrinement into the Baseball Hall of Fame,” the statement added. Cox, who hailed from Tulsa, Oklahoma, is known as one of the most successful managers in baseball history. During the 1968 and 1969 seasons, Cox played as a third baseman for the New York Yankees.
Following his brief time on the field, Cox moved into coaching and managing. He kicked off that part of his career by managing the Braves from 1978 to 1981. He also managed the Toronto Blue Jays from 1982 to 1985 before making his return to the Braves. The impact of Cox’s coaching became clear during his second tenure with Atlanta, beginning in 1990.
According to Trending Politics News, Cox helped guide the Braves through a turnaround season in 1991, when the ball club went from scraping the bottom of the barrel in last place to fighting their way back to first in the National League West, a feat that earned Cox his first National League Manager of the Year award.
That same year became the launching pad for a lengthy period of sustained success that still to this day remains mostly unrivaled. During that time, the Atlanta Braves secured 14 consecutive division titles from 1991 through 2005. The figure doesn’t include the 1994 season, which was shortened due to a strike. During this period, the Braves played in the World Series five times in 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, and 1999.
The peak of his coaching career came in 1995, when Cox led the Braves to their first World Series championship since the team moved to Atlanta, Georgia. The victory also marked the first major professional sports title in Atlanta. “We mourn the passing of Hall of Famer Bobby Cox, the fourth-winningest manager in MLB history,” Major League Baseball went on to say in a statement about Cox’s death.
“The four-time Manager of the Year won 2,401 games overall, behind only Connie Mack, Tony La Russa, and John McGraw. Of the 13 managers with at least 2,000 career wins, only one (Joe McCarthy) got there in fewer games than Cox,” the statement added. “Cox managed the Braves for 25 seasons in all, leading them to six 100-win seasons and eight 90-win seasons. He also managed the Blue Jays for four years, including the franchise’s first winning record in 1983 and first division title in 1985.”
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“As General Manager of the Braves from 1986-90, Cox laid the foundation for the teams he would manage to success over the next two decades by trading for one future Hall of Famer in John Smoltz, drafting another in Chipper Jones, and helping develop homegrown legend Tom Glavine. Owner of a .556 winning percentage in 29 total seasons as manager, Cox was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2014,” it concluded.
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