Connie Mack (Baseball Legend) - On This Day

Profession: Baseball Legend

Biography: Connie Mack managed the Philadelphia Athletics for 50 years, setting a record for the longest tenure in North American professional sports.

Mack began his career in baseball as a player in the 1880s. He transitioned to managing in 1894 and took over the Philadelphia Athletics in 1901. Over the next five decades, Mack built and rebuilt several successful teams.

His first great team dominated the American League in the early 1910s. This team won World Series titles in 1910, 1911, and 1913. Financial difficulties forced Mack to sell many of his star players after 1914, however, leading to a period of struggle for the Athletics.

Mack rebuilt the team in the late 1920s. His second great team won three consecutive American League pennants from 1929 to 1931, including two World Series titles. Unfortunately financial issues again led to the dismantling of this team in the early 1930s.

In the late 1940s, Mack assembled his third competitive team. While this team had winning seasons, it did not achieve the same level of success as his earlier squads. Mack retired from managing in 1950 at the age of 87.

Mack still holds the records for most wins and losses as a manager in Major League Baseball.

Born: December 22, 1862
Birthplace: East Brookfield, Massachusetts, USA
Star Sign: Capricorn

Died: February 8, 1956 (aged 93)

Playing Career

• 1908-02-07 Philadelphia Athletics' manager and owner Connie Mack sells future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Rube Waddell to St Louis Browns for $5,000
• 1914-07-07 Baltimore Orioles owner Jack Dunn offers future baseball legend Babe Ruth, Ernie Shore & Ben Egan for $10k to Connie Mack (Philadelphia A's); refuses pleading lack of finance
• 1928-05-24 Record 12 future Baseball Hall of Famers take the field as NY Yankees beat Philadelphia A's, 9-7 at Shibe Park; managers Miller Huggins & Connie Mack, umpire Tom Connolly also HOF'ers
• 1933-12-03 As part of a famous MLB fire sale of players, Philadelphia A's owner Connie Mack sells catcher Mickey Cochrane to Detroit for $100,000; Cochrane is immediately named Tigers manager
• 1934-11-02 MLB All-Star team led by Connie Mack and including Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx and Lou Gehrig starts 18-game tour against Japanese Big-Six University League
• 1940-12-20 Connie Mack acquires controlling interest in the Athletics for $42,000
• 1948-04-04 84-year-old Connie Mack challenges 78-year-old Clark Griffith to a race from home to 1st base; it ends in a tie
• 1950-06-12 Following his retirement announcement after 49 years as Philadelphia Athletics manager Connie Mack is named Honorary Manager of the MLB All-Star Game
• 1950-10-01 Connie Mack's last game as Philadelphia Athletics manager (1901-50); longest serving manager in MLB history; beat Washington Senators, 5-3 at Shribe Park

Personal Life

• 1887-11-02 Baseball legend Connie Mack (24) weds Margaret Hogan
• 1910-10-27 Baseball legend Connie Mack (47) weds Katherine Holahan

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