Bob Coleman

Bob Coleman
Coleman as a Boston Brave (1943–45)
Catcher/Coach/Manager
Born:(1890-09-26)September 26, 1890 Huntingburg, Indiana,U.S.
Died:July 16, 1959(1959-07-16)(aged 68) Boston, Massachusetts,U.S.
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
As player Pittsburgh Pirates(1913–1914) Cleveland Indians(1916) As manager Boston Braves(1943,1944–1945) As coach Boston Red Sox(1926) Detroit Tigers(1932) Boston Braves(1943)
Career highlights and awards
Won 2,496 games as a minor league manager 6×Three-I LeagueManager of the Year (1935, 1937, 1938, 1941, 1946, 1951)

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

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.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

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

• Lloyd Johnson, ed.,The Minor League Register.Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1994.

Further reading

• 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

• Career statistics and player information fromBaseball Reference,orBaseball Reference (Minors)
• Obituary
• Bob ColemanatFind a Grave