Casey Stengel

Early life

The youngest of three children, he played sandlot baseball and also participated in baseball, football, and basketball at Central High School, where his basketball team won the city championship and the baseball team won the state title. As a teenager, he played semipro baseball, including for the traveling Kansas City Red Sox in 1908 and 1909. He was offered a minor league contract by the Kansas City Blues at $135 per month, which his father signed because Stengel was underage.

Playing career

Stengel began his professional career in 1910 with the Kansas City Blues but was optioned to the Kankakee Kays of the Class D Northern Association, where he batted .251 before the league folded. He then played for the Shelbyville Grays/Maysville Rivermen, batting .221, and returned to the Blues for the final week of the season with a combined .237 average. Uncertain of his future, he attended Western Dental College in the 1910–1911 offseason. Sold to the Aurora Blues of the Class C Wisconsin–Illinois League, he led the league with a .352 batting average.

Scout Larry Sutton noticed him, and the Brooklyn Dodgers purchased his contract on September 1, 1911. Assigned to the Montgomery Rebels in 1912, Stengel batted .290 and led the league in outfield assists, developing a reputation as an eccentric player. He reached the majors late in 1912 with Brooklyn, spending three offseasons at dental school without graduating. His playing career included stints with the Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Giants, and Boston Braves, ending in 1925.

Early managerial career (1925–1948)

Stengel began 1925 on the Braves' active roster but appeared only as a pinch hitter and started once, getting his final major league hit on May 14. Braves owner Emil Fuchs purchased the Worcester Panthers of the Eastern League and hired Stengel as player-manager and team president. Stengel hit .302 in 100 games as the Panthers finished third.

In 1926, John McGraw wanted Stengel to manage the Toledo Mud Hens, but Stengel was still under contract to the Braves. Fuchs was outraged but was advised by Judge Landis to let the matter go. Stengel's early MLB managerial stints with the Dodgers (1934–1936) and Braves (1938–1943) brought mostly poor finishes, though he later found minor league success.

Glory days: Yankee dynasty (1949–1960)

Stengel was hired as Yankee manager on October 12, 1948, after general manager George Weiss urged the Yankees' partners to appoint him. Stengel had been backed by Weiss earlier but was blocked by Larry MacPhail, who sold his interest after 1947. Stengel aided his cause by winning a championship with Oakland while the Yankee job was open. Joe DiMaggio attended the press conference as a sign of support.

Stengel faced skepticism due to his reputation as a clown and his lack of a winning major league record. The team won ten pennants in his twelve seasons and seven World Series, but his final two years brought a third-place finish in 1959 and a loss in the 1960 World Series. At age 70, he was dismissed shortly after that defeat.