Bobby Cox, Hall of Fame and World Series-winning manager, has died, the Braves announced Saturday.
He was 84.
Cox is most remembered for leading the Braves during their most prosperous era from the early 1990s through the mid-2000s, winning 14 straight National League East division titles from 1991-2005.
The team reached the pinnacle of the baseball world in 1995 when it defeated Cleveland in the World Series for the franchise’s first title in Atlanta. The club also won five NL pennants during his run.
Bobby Cox managing the Braves against the Mets in 1997. 6.23.97His 2,504 wins rank fourth all time among big league skippers.
A four-time Manager of the Year winner, he received 100 percent of the Expansion Era Committee vote to earn induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014.
“Bobby was a favorite among all in the baseball community, especially those who played for him,” the Braves said in a statement. “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.
Bobby Cox managing during the 1996 World Series against the Yankees. Getty Images
“And while Bobby’s passion for the game was unparalleled, his love of baseball was exceeded only by his love for his family. It is with the heaviest of hearts that we send our sincerest condolences to his beloved wife, Pam, and their loving children and grandchildren.”
Born in Tulsa, Okla., in 1941, Cox reached the major leagues as a player with the Yankees in 1968, playing two seasons in pinstripes, mostly as a third baseman.
First base coach Bobby Cox #14 of the New York Yankees claps during an MLB game circa 1977 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. Bruce Bennett Studios via GettyCox then shifted into coaching and managing, first in the Venezuelan Winter League and Yankees minor league system before joining skipper Billy Martin’s staff as a first base coach for the 1977 season, when the Bombers beat the Dodgers in the World Series.
He then got his first big league managing gig with the Braves (1978-81) before going to the Blue Jays (1982-85). Cox then rejoined Atlanta as its general manager after stepping down from Toronto —where he won the AL East in 1985 — and then took over as Braves field manager again in 1990, a position he’d hold through the 2010 campaign.
With a Hall of Fame pitching core of Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine, combined with hitters Chipper and Andruw Jones, the Braves were the team to beat in the National League for almost the entirety of Cox’s reign as manager. Only twice during his second Braves stint did Cox and the Braves finish a full season with a losing record.
“Bobby Cox led one of the greatest eras of sustained excellence in baseball history. As manager of the Braves, his clubs became an October fixture, representing consistency, professionalism, and championship-caliber baseball for an entire generation of fans,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “Through his leadership, eye for talent, and commitment to player development, Bobby helped shape the careers of numerous Hall of Famers and guided the Braves to Atlanta’s first major professional sports championship in 1995. “On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Bobby’s family, the Braves organization, the many players and coaches whose lives he impacted throughout his 29-year managerial career, and Braves fans everywhere.”
Joe Torre of the New York Yankees and Bobby Cox of the Atlanta Braves shake hands prior to Game One of the World Series on October 23, 1999 at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia. Sporting News via Getty ImagesEver the pugnacious manager, Cox holds the record for managerial ejections with 162, a mark unlikely to be broken.
His No. 6 was retired by the Braves, who also included Cox in their team Hall of Fame.
“His Braves managerial legacy will never be matched,” the Braves said.
