Tony La Russa

Who is Tony La Russa?

Anthony "Tony" La Russa, Jr. is an American professional baseball player, manager, and executive. He is best known for his tenures as manager of the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, and St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball. His MLB career has spanned from 1963 to the present. As a manager, La Russa guided his teams to three World Series titles, six league championships and twelve division titles in 33 seasons. His 2,728 wins as a manager ranks third all-time in major league history, behind Connie Mack and John McGraw.

As a player, La Russa made his major league debut in 1963 and spent parts of five major league seasons with the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics, Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs. After a shoulder injury during the 1964–65 off-season, he played much of the remainder of his professor in the minor leagues until retiring in 1977. Following his playing career, he earned a Juris Doctor degree from Florida State University.

La Russa was named manager of the White Sox in the middle of the 1979 season and guided the White Sox to an American League West division title four seasons later.