Terry Francona
From BR Bullpen
Terry Jon Francona
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 6' 1", Weight 190 lb.
- School University of Arizona
- Debut August 19, 1981
- Final Game April 19, 1990
- Born April 22, 1959 in Aberdeen, SD USA
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[edit] Biographical Information
Terry Francona played ten years in the majors and has been a major league manager for nearly a decade, winning two World Series.
Francona played college baseball for three years at the University of Arizona and won the 1980 Golden Spikes Award. When his team won the College World Series that year, he was named the series Most Outstanding Player.
In the 1978 Amateur World Series, Terry hit .350/.366/.550 as a DH-LF for Team USA, helping them to a Silver Medal. He tied Jae-bak Kim, Mitsugu Kobayashi and Graham Ward for 5th in the Series in hits (15) and tied Jerry Desimone for the most triples (2). Francona then was an All-Star outfielder with Team USA in the 1979 Intercontinental Cup, helping the club win Bronze.
Francona was selected by the Montreal Expos in the first round of the 1980 amateur draft and reached the majors in less than two seasons. However, he struggled with knee injuries throughout his big league career. He closed out his major-league career by playing 90 games for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1989 and another three games in 1990. Coincidentally, his father, Tito Francona, had also closed out his major-league career by playing for the Brewers, in their inaugural season of 1970.
After his playing career ended, Francona coached the GCL White Sox in 1991 and spent four years as a minor league manager in the Chicago White Sox system, including a season as skipper of the Birmingham Barons when Michael Jordan played for the club.
In 1996, he was a Detroit Tigers coach.
After a four year stint as the Philadelphia Phillies manager, he spent a season as a Texas Rangers coach and another in the same role with the Oakland Athletics.
He managed Team USA in the 2001 Baseball World Cup.
In 2004, he replaced Grady Little as Boston Red Sox manager, and Francona led them to a World Series title in his first season. He returned to the postseason in 2005 then after an off-year in 2006, he brought the Red Sox a divions title and a second World Championship in four years in 2007, sweeping the Colorado Rockies in the World Series to give him an 8-0 record in the Fall Classic.
The son of Tito Francona, he is often called "Tito" by his players. Grant Jackson played with both Tito and Terry Francona.
Due to previous health issues, Francona has difficulty with his circulation and is often cold. Therefore he is always seen with a jacket on even on very hot days.
Francona's son Nick was a freshman pitcher at the University of Pennsylvania in 2005, but missed 2006 due to injuries.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- Division Titles: 1 (2007)
- Other post-season appearances: 3 (2004, 2005 & 2008 Wild Card)
- AL Pennants: 2 (2004 & 2007)
- Managed two World Series Champions with the Boston Red Sox (2004 & 2007)
| Preceded by Jim Fregosi | Philadelphia Phillies Manager 1997-2000 | Succeeded by Larry Bowa |
| Preceded by Grady Little | Boston Red Sox Manager 2004- | Succeeded by Current |
[edit] Year-By-Year Managerial Record
| Year | Team | League | Record | Finish | Organization | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | South Bend White Sox | Midwest League | 73-64 | 5th | Chicago White Sox | |
| 1993 | Birmingham Barons | Southern League | 78-64 | 1st | Chicago White Sox | League Champs |
| 1994 | Birmingham Barons | Southern League | 65-74 | Chicago White Sox | ||
| 1995 | Birmingham Barons | Southern League | 80-64 | 3rd | Chicago White Sox | |
| 1997 | Philadelphia Phillies | National League | 68-94 | 5th | Philadelphia Phillies | |
| 1998 | Philadelphia Phillies | National League | 75-87 | 3rd | Philadelphia Phillies | |
| 1999 | Philadelphia Phillies | National League | 77-85 | 3rd | Philadelphia Phillies | |
| 2000 | Philadelphia Phillies | National League | 65-97 | 5th | Philadelphia Phillies | |
| 2004 | Boston Red Sox | American League | 98-64 | 2nd | Boston Red Sox | Won World Series |
| 2005 | Boston Red Sox | American League | 95-67 | 2nd | Boston Red Sox | Lost ALDS |
| 2006 | Boston Red Sox | American League | 86-76 | 3rd | Boston Red Sox | |
| 2007 | Boston Red Sox | American League | 96-66 | 1st | Boston Red Sox | Won World Series |
| 2008 | Boston Red Sox | American League | 95-67 | 2nd | Boston Red Sox | Lost ALCS |
