Joe L. Brown
Encyclopedia
Joe L. Brown was an American
front office executive in Major League Baseball
.
of the Pittsburgh Pirates
from November 1, 1955
, through the end of the 1976
season. Under his administration, the Pirates recovered from four consecutive last-place finishes in the National League
to world champions in 1960
and 1971
. Led by the great Baseball Hall of Fame players Roberto Clemente
and Willie Stargell
, the Bucs were perennial contenders in the National League (and, after 1969
, the National League East Division).
Joe L. Brown was a native of New York, New York, but grew up in Southern California
. The son of actor
-comedian
Joe E. Brown
, he inherited his father's passion for baseball. Brown first met Branch Rickey
, his predecessor in Pittsburgh, when Brown was 16 years of age, in 1935. He entered minor league baseball
after his graduation from UCLA in 1939
as a front-office official with the Lubbock
Hubbers of the Class D West Texas-New Mexico League
. He served in the United States Army Air Force during World War II
, then joined the Hollywood Stars
of the top-level Pacific Coast League
in 1946
. He came to the Pittsburgh organization in 1950
as business manager of their Waco Pirates
farm team in the Class B Big State League, then their New Orleans Pelicans
club in the Class AA Southern Association
. He joined the Pittsburgh front office in 1955, reunited with Rickey, who was in his final season as general manager.
When Rickey, 73, retired to become the club's board chairman at the close of the 1955 campaign, Brown was the unanimous choice of that board (which also included part-owner Bing Crosby
, the entertainer) to succeed him. Brown's first order of business was to find a successor to fired skipper
Fred Haney
. While his first choice, Bobby Bragan
, was a misfire, Brown struck gold in the midseason of 1957
when he replaced Bragan with Danny Murtaugh
. Under Murtaugh, the Bucs became contenders in 1958
, and won the 1960
and 1971 World Series
. Although he twice was compelled to step down for health reasons, Murtaugh would serve four separate terms as Brown's field manager (1957-64; 1967; 1970-71; 1973-76). Unfortunately, two months after Brown's and Murtaugh's joint retirement after the '76 campaign, Murtaugh suffered a fatal stroke
at age 59.
Brown maintained and built upon the strong scouting and player development system created during Rickey's term as the Bucs' general manager. He also swung multiple shrewd trades, acquiring players such as Harvey Haddix
, Smoky Burgess
, Bill Virdon
, Don Hoak
and Hal Smith, who would play key roles in Pittsburgh's 1960 championship. His 1971 club was almost exclusively produced from the Pirates' strong farm system, which mined talent from the Caribbean
and Latin America
. Brown would frequently accompany fabled scout Howie Haak
on Haak's trips to Latin America.
After almost a decade of semi-retirement (he remained a Southern California
-based scout for the Bucs) Brown was called back into harness in 1985
to serve as acting general manager as the Pirates, rocked by a drug scandal
, poor play and falling attendance, were sold by the John W. Galbreath family to a local consortium.
He died on August 15, 2010, in Albuquerque, New Mexico
at the age of 91.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
front office executive in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
.
Biography
Brown served as the general managerGeneral manager (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, the general manager of a team typically controls player transactions and bears the primary responsibility on behalf of the ballclub during contract discussions with players....
of the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
from November 1, 1955
1955 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Brooklyn Dodgers over New York Yankees ; Johnny Podres, MVP*All-Star Game, July 12 at County Stadium: National League, 6-5 -Other champions:*Caribbean World Series: Cangrejeros de Santurce...
, through the end of the 1976
1976 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Cincinnati Reds over New York Yankees ; Johnny Bench, MVP*All-Star Game, July 13 at Veterans Stadium: National League, 7-1; George Foster, MVP-Other champions:*Caribbean World Series: Naranjeros de Hermosillo...
season. Under his administration, the Pirates recovered from four consecutive last-place finishes in the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
to world champions in 1960
1960 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Pittsburgh Pirates over New York Yankees ; Bobby Richardson, MVP*All-Star Game , July 11 at Municipal Stadium: National League, 5-3*All-Star Game , July 13 at Yankee Stadium: National League, 6-0...
and 1971
1971 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:National League: Pittsburgh PiratesAmerican League: Baltimore Orioles1971 World Series: Pittsburgh def. Baltimore , 4 games to 3.Inter-league playoff: Pittsburgh declined challenge by Tokyo Yomiuri Giants....
. Led by the great Baseball Hall of Fame players Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball right fielder. He was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of seven children. Clemente played his entire 18-year baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates . He was awarded the National League's Most Valuable Player Award in...
and Willie Stargell
Willie Stargell
Wilver Dornell "Willie" Stargell , nicknamed "Pops" in the later years of his career, was a Major League Baseball left fielder and first baseman. He played his entire 21-year baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates...
, the Bucs were perennial contenders in the National League (and, after 1969
1969 in baseball
-Expansion:Four expansion teams joined Major League Baseball for this season: the San Diego Padres, the Kansas City Royals, the Seattle Pilots, and the first MLB team in Canada, the Montreal Expos. To accommodate the additional teams, the two leagues were split into two divisions of East and West...
, the National League East Division).
Joe L. Brown was a native of New York, New York, but grew up in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. The son of actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
-comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
Joe E. Brown
Joe E. Brown (comedian)
Joseph Evans Brown was an American actor and comedian, remembered for his amiable screen persona, comic timing, and enormous smile. In 1902 at the age of nine, he joined a troupe of circus tumblers known as the Five Marvelous Ashtons which toured the country on both the circus and vaudeville...
, he inherited his father's passion for baseball. Brown first met Branch Rickey
Branch Rickey
Wesley Branch Rickey was an innovative Major League Baseball executive elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967...
, his predecessor in Pittsburgh, when Brown was 16 years of age, in 1935. He entered minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
after his graduation from UCLA in 1939
1939 in baseball
-Headline Event of the Year:*On May 17, 1939, Princeton University and Columbia University played the first televised baseball game. On August 26, the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers played the first televised Major League Baseball game...
as a front-office official with the Lubbock
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
Hubbers of the Class D West Texas-New Mexico League
West Texas-New Mexico League
The West Texas-New Mexico League was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1937 through 1955. The league was not active in 1943-1945 because of World War II...
. He served in the United States Army Air Force during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, then joined the Hollywood Stars
Hollywood Stars
The Hollywood Stars were a minor league baseball team that played in the Pacific Coast League during the early and mid 20th century. They were the arch-rivals of the other Los Angeles based PCL team, the Los Angeles Angels.-Hollywood Stars :...
of the top-level Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
in 1946
1946 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: St. Louis Cardinals over Boston Red Sox *All-Star Game, July 9 at Fenway Park: American League, 12–0-Other champions:*Negro League World Series: Newark Eagles over Kansas City Monarchs...
. He came to the Pittsburgh organization in 1950
1950 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Yankees over Philadelphia Phillies *All-Star Game, July 11 at Comiskey Park: National League, 4-3 -Other champions:*Caribbean World Series: Carta Vieja *College World Series: Texas...
as business manager of their Waco Pirates
Waco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....
farm team in the Class B Big State League, then their New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans were a Minor league professional baseball team based in New Orleans, Louisiana.-Team history:Founded in 1887, the Pelicans became part of the Southern Association in 1901...
club in the Class AA Southern Association
Southern Association
The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A , Class A1 and Class AA...
. He joined the Pittsburgh front office in 1955, reunited with Rickey, who was in his final season as general manager.
When Rickey, 73, retired to become the club's board chairman at the close of the 1955 campaign, Brown was the unanimous choice of that board (which also included part-owner Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
, the entertainer) to succeed him. Brown's first order of business was to find a successor to fired skipper
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
Fred Haney
Fred Haney
Fred Girard Haney was an American third baseman, manager, coach and executive in Major League Baseball. As a manager, he won two pennants and a world championship with the Milwaukee Braves and, as an executive, he was the first general manager of the expansion Los Angeles Angels of the American...
. While his first choice, Bobby Bragan
Bobby Bragan
Robert Randall Bragan was a shortstop, catcher, manager, and coach in American Major League Baseball. He also was an influential executive in minor league baseball...
, was a misfire, Brown struck gold in the midseason of 1957
1957 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Milwaukee Braves over New York Yankees ; Lew Burdette, MVP*All-Star Game, July 9 at Busch Stadium: American League, 6-5-Other champions:*Caribbean World Series: Marianao *College World Series: California...
when he replaced Bragan with Danny Murtaugh
Danny Murtaugh
Daniel Edward Murtaugh was an American second baseman, manager, front-office executive and coach in Major League Baseball best known for his 29-year association with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a player and manager...
. Under Murtaugh, the Bucs became contenders in 1958
1958 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Yankees over Milwaukee Braves ; Bob Turley, MVP*All-Star Game, July 8 at Memorial Stadium: American League, 4-3-Other champions:*Caribbean World Series: Marianao *College World Series: USC...
, and won the 1960
1960 World Series
The 1960 World Series was played between the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League and the New York Yankees of the American League from October 5 to October 13, 1960...
and 1971 World Series
1971 World Series
The 1971 World Series matched the defending champion Baltimore Orioles against the Pittsburgh Pirates, with the Pirates winning in seven games. Game 4, played in Pittsburgh, was the first-ever World Series game scheduled to be played at night....
. Although he twice was compelled to step down for health reasons, Murtaugh would serve four separate terms as Brown's field manager (1957-64; 1967; 1970-71; 1973-76). Unfortunately, two months after Brown's and Murtaugh's joint retirement after the '76 campaign, Murtaugh suffered a fatal stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
at age 59.
Brown maintained and built upon the strong scouting and player development system created during Rickey's term as the Bucs' general manager. He also swung multiple shrewd trades, acquiring players such as Harvey Haddix
Harvey Haddix
Harvey Haddix, Jr. was a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher who played with the St. Louis Cardinals , Philadelphia Phillies , Cincinnati Redlegs , Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles . Haddix was born in Medway, Ohio, located just outside of Springfield...
, Smoky Burgess
Smoky Burgess
Forrest Harrill "Smoky" Burgess was an American professional baseball player, coach and scout. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1949 to 1967. Later in his career, he became known for his ability as a pinch hitter, setting the major league career record for career pinch-hits...
, Bill Virdon
Bill Virdon
William Charles Virdon is a former outfielder, manager and coach in Major League Baseball. A premier defensive outfielder during his playing days as a center fielder for the St...
, Don Hoak
Don Hoak
Donald Albert Hoak was a Major League Baseball player. Nicknamed "Tiger," Hoak was a third baseman who played ten seasons in the Majors with the Brooklyn Dodgers , Chicago Cubs , Cincinnati Reds , Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies...
and Hal Smith, who would play key roles in Pittsburgh's 1960 championship. His 1971 club was almost exclusively produced from the Pirates' strong farm system, which mined talent from the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. Brown would frequently accompany fabled scout Howie Haak
Howie Haak
Howard Frederick Haak , pronounced "Hake," was an American professional baseball scout for almost 50 years, from the end of World War II through his retirement.-Scouted Latin America and Caribbean:...
on Haak's trips to Latin America.
After almost a decade of semi-retirement (he remained a Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
-based scout for the Bucs) Brown was called back into harness in 1985
1985 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Kansas City Royals over St. Louis Cardinals ; Bret Saberhagen, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: George Brett*National League Championship Series MVP: Ozzie Smith...
to serve as acting general manager as the Pirates, rocked by a drug scandal
Pittsburgh drug trials
The Pittsburgh drug trials of 1985 were the catalyst for a baseball-related cocaine scandal which resulted in the harshest Major League Baseball penalties since the Black Sox scandal of 1919...
, poor play and falling attendance, were sold by the John W. Galbreath family to a local consortium.
He died on August 15, 2010, in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
at the age of 91.