Dave Bristol

Lore & Background

Bristol attended high school at the Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He went on to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Western Carolina University. He worked as an assistant football coach at Murphy High School in Cherokee County, North Carolina. A right-handed hitting and throwing infielder, he never played in the Major Leagues. Bristol became a playing manager in the Cincinnati farm system at age 24 with the Hornell Redlegs of the Class D New York–Penn League in 1957. By 1964, he was managing the Reds' top farm team, the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League, where, at age 31, he won a pennant and playoff title. In nine seasons (1957–65) as a minor league pilot, his teams won 652 games and lost 562 (.537). In 1966, Bristol was named to the Reds' coaching staff, and when the team performed badly under rookie skipper Don Heffner, Bristol took over as manager on July 13. He guided the Reds through three winning seasons, but was dismissed after the 1969 campaign. Cincinnati (298–265, .529) represented the high-water mark of his managing career; he never managed another winning club. He later managed the Milwaukee Brewers, Atlanta Braves, and San Francisco Giants, finishing with a career managerial record of 657 wins and 764 defeats (.462). He also served as third base coach for the Montreal Expos (1973–75) and San Francisco Giants (1978–79), plus two terms with the Philadelphia Phillies (1982–85; 1988), and two additional stints with the Reds (1989; 1993).

In Their Own Story

The August sun hung low over the old Pittsburgh ballpark, painting the diamond in shades of amber and rust. The crowd was sparse — it was a weekday, the kind of afternoon where the seats held more shadow than bodies. But in the box, the manager's jaw was set, and his eyes were on the mound.

Bristol was in his fourth start that week. His arm ached in a way that had become almost familiar, a deep throb beneath the shoulder that whispered *enough*. He shook his head at the thought. He bent to pick up the ball, rolled it between his fingers, and looked out at the empty rows of seats as if daring them to boo.

He threw the first pitch. Then the second. The batter swung and missed. The crowd of forty, maybe fifty, leaned forward. Bristol did not look up. He did not need to. He had a hundred more pitches in him, and the Pirates needed every single one.

Reader's Guide

James David Bristol (born June 23, 1933) is an American former professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played in minor league baseball as a second baseman from 1951 to 1961. He managed the Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, Atlanta Braves, and San Francisco Giants. He never played in the Major Leagues. He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 2018.

Did You Know?

• Bristol never played in the Major Leagues, but managed four MLB teams.
• He was a right-handed hitting and throwing second baseman in the minors.
• Bristol was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 2018.
• He also served as an assistant football coach at Murphy High School in North Carolina.