Bob Coleman
Bob Coleman | |
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Catcher/Coach/Manager | |
Born: Huntingburg, Indiana,U.S. | September 26, 1890|
Died:July 16, 1959 Boston, Massachusetts,U.S. | (aged 68)|
Batted:Right Threw:Right | |
MLB debut | |
June 13, 1913, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 9, 1916, for the Cleveland Indians | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .241 |
Home runs | 1 |
Runs batted in | 27 |
Games managed | 295 |
Managerial record | 128–165 |
Winning % | .437 |
Teams | |
| |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Robert Hunter Coleman(September 26, 1890 – July 16, 1959) was an Americancatcher,coachandmanagerinMajor League Baseball.Notably, he served two terms as pilot of theBoston Bravesof theNational League—as acting skipper from April 24 to June 17, 1943, and as the Braves' official field leader from the start of 1944 through July 29, 1945.
Coleman also was one of the most successful managers in the history ofminor league baseball,where, between 1919 and 1957 (with interruptions caused by major league service) he won ten regular season pennants and five league playoff titles. He won his firstpennantwith the 1922Terre Haute Totsof theThree-I League,and he also won a championship with the 1935Springfield Senators,also of the Three-I League. The rest of his titles came with theEvansville, Indiana,franchise in that circuit.
Early life and career
[edit]A native ofHuntingburg, Indiana,Coleman played just three seasons in the majors, with thePittsburgh Pirates(1913–14) and theCleveland Indians(1916).The New York Timestook notice of the fact that Coleman "accepted 13 chances on the 13th day of June in the year 1913" during a 3–2 loss to theNew York Giants.[1]The right-handed-hitting catcherbatted.241 with 55hitsand onehome runin 116 total games.
In 1919, at age 28, he embarked on his managerial career with theMobile Bearsof the Class ASouthern Association.By1926he was a coach for theBoston Red Sox,but the following season he returned to the minor leagues, and in 1928 he became manager of theEvansville Hubsof the Class BThree-I League,where he would spend much of the rest of his baseball career. He managed Evansville for 20 seasons over four separate tours of duty (1928–31; 1938–42; 1946–49; 1951–57), and won eight pennants there (1930, 1938, 1941, 1949, 1952, 1954, 1956 and 1957) including his final season.
Coleman made it back to the majors as a coach with theDetroit Tigersin1932and theBoston Bravesin1943.On April 20, 1943, four days before the National League season was about to begin, his boss, managerCasey Stengel,suffered a broken leg when he was hit by a taxicab as he tried to cross a Boston street. Coleman stepped in for 46 games, through June 17, while Stengel recovered (the Braves winning 21). At season's end, Stengel was fired and Coleman was named permanent manager of the Braves for1944.But the wartime Braves were not contenders and after a sixth-place 1944 finish was followed by a sluggish start to1945,Coleman was replaced by one of his coaches,Del Bissonette,on July 29. His final record as a Major League manager was 128–165–2 (.437).
He then returned to Evansville as manager of theEvansville Braves,a Bostonfarm team,and resumed his minor league career. In 35 seasons as a minor league skipper, Coleman's teams won 2,496 games and lost 2,103 (.543).
In 1958, theMilwaukee Bravesnamed Coleman to theirscoutingstaff. One year later, on July 16, 1959, he died inBostonfromcancerat age 68.
MLB managerial record
[edit]Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
BSN | 1943 | 46 | 21 | 25 | .457 | Sixth Acting manager 4/24–6/17 |
– | – | – | – |
BSN | 1944 | 155 | 65 | 89 | .422 | Sixth | – | – | – | – |
BSN | 1945 | 94 | 42 | 51 | .452 | Seventh Fired 7/29 |
– | – | – | – |
Total | 295 | 128 | 165 | .437 | 0 | 0 | – |
References
[edit]- ^"Giants' Speed Wins Game from Pirates".The New York Times.June 14, 1913. p. 12.RetrievedJune 1,2021.
- Lloyd Johnson, ed.,The Minor League Register.Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1994.
Further reading
[edit]- Jurgens, Jerry (July 18, 1959)."Sport-o-Scope: Tribute to Bob Coleman".Quad-City Times.p. 10.
- Swick,"On the Rebound".Galesburg Register-Mail.p. 10.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics and player information fromBaseball Reference,orBaseball Reference (Minors)
- Obituary
- Bob ColemanatFind a Grave
- 1890 births
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- Baseball coaches from Indiana
- Baseball players from Indiana
- Boston Braves coaches
- Boston Braves managers
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