Dick Howser

Lore & Background

A native of Miami, Florida, Howser grew up in West Palm Beach, Florida; graduated from Palm Beach High School; and attended Florida State University. He was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity. At Florida State, he received honors twice as an All-American shortstop and set a school record with a batting average of .422 in 1956. He signed with the Kansas City Athletics on June 13, 1958. He hit .280, stole 37 bases, scored 108 runs, and led American League shortstops in putouts and errors in his rookie season. For this he was selected to the 1961 All-Star team, and was named The Sporting News rookie of the year. As his stats declined in the following two years, his only other season as a regular was with the Cleveland Indians in 1964. His major league career spanned eight seasons with three clubs – Kansas City Athletics, Cleveland Indians, and New York Yankees. Tommy John played with Howser in Cleveland. He described the shortstop as 'an aggressive, sparkplug type who'd lead both on and off the field...you could tell even then that Dick would make a fine manager.' Immediately following his playing career, he was the third base coach with the Yankees for ten seasons (1969–1978). He then spent one year (1979) as head baseball coach at his alma mater, Florida State. As a manager at the major league level, Howser never finished lower than second place during his seven-year managerial career. He made his debut in 1978, managing one game with the Yankees between Billy Martin's and Bob Lemon's first tours as skipper in the Bronx. In 1980, he returned from Florida State to become a full-time manager of the Yankees, taking them to the AL Eastern Division championship with a 103–59 record but losing three consecutive games to the Kansas City Royals in the playoffs; he was the fourth manager to win 100 games in his first full season as a manager. Howser was one of the few Yankee managers who refused to let owner George Steinbrenner push him around. When Steinbrenner would call the manager's office before or after games while Howser was meeting with coaches or reporters, Howser would pick up the phone, say 'I'm busy!', and hang up. Steinbrenner had a rule about facial hair, which Reggie Jackson would skirt around from time to time in 1980.

Reader's Guide

Dick Howser managed the Kansas City Royals from 1981 to 1986, leading them to their first World Series title in 1985. He never finished lower than second place during his seven-year managerial career. His number 10 was retired by the Royals on July 3, 1987.

Did You Know?

• Howser managed the 1986 All-Star Game at the Astrodome, which was his last game as manager.
• The Dick Howser Trophy is awarded annually to the top college baseball player.