Cornelius McGillicuddy aka Connie Mack was born on this day in 1862. Mack was a catcher for 11 seasons in the major leagues. Not a very good player but he was known for his intelligence. In 1901 he went to the American League as part owner and manager of the Philadelphia Athletics. He would stay there for 50 years. Connie Mack holds the record for most games managed 7755, wins 3731 and losses 3948. It was easy to keep your job as manager if you owned the team! He was a great manager though. He had more losses than wins but that is not a reflection of his ability as a manager. He managed some of the greatest teams in baseball history and some of the worst. The Athletics won 9 American League pennants and 5 World Series with Mack as their manager. Because of financial difficulties he would be able to build great teams but then have to sell his great stars because of financial reasons. His teams would finish last place 17 times. He would be the A’s manager from 1901 until his retirement in 1950 at the age of 87. He was known for wearing a business suit in the dugout. He was always called “Mister Mack” by his players. He was a gentleman, never used profanity. He always called his players by their given names, not their nicknames.

He is the only manager to win consecutive World Series on separate occasions- 1910-11 and 1929-30. He liked intelligent players with baseball smarts. He was known for wanting educated players. Players who had quiet and disciplined personal lives. He had Shoeless Joe Jackson on his team early in the great Jackson’s career but traded him because of his lack of intelligence and bad attitude.  Mack was known as a kindly. easygoing  man who was very tight with a dollar. His style of managing was finding intelligent players, training them and then letting them play.

He was part owner of the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901 until 1936, full owner 1937 until 1954. Connie Mack died two years later in 1956 at the age of 93. No question Connie Mack would be on the Mount Rushmore of greatest managers in the history of baseball.