Paul Owens (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Paul Francis Owens was an American
front office executive and manager
in Major League Baseball
.
. He was the general manager
and principal architect of the 1980 Phillies
, the third Philadelphia club to win a National League
pennant and the first Phillie team to win a World Series
— breaking a 97-year streak of futility dating to the team's founding in . He was general manager of the Phillies from June 3, , through the end of , and twice (1972; 1983-84) added the title of field manager to his job description. In he took the managerial reins of the Phillies in midyear and led them to their fourth pennant, but lost to the Baltimore Orioles
in the 1983 World Series
.
. Owens' professional playing career began in 1951 at the relatively advanced age of 27. It was spent entirely at the minor league
level, and largely centered in his native upstate New York
. A first baseman
who batted and threw right-handed, he twice (1951, 1957) batted
.407 with the Olean Oilers
of the Class D PONY League (now the NY-Penn League
) and set a league record by hitting safely in 38 consecutive games in 1951. During his relatively brief playing career, Owens compiled a lifetime average of .374.
of the California League
. He then became a scout
, and, eventually, director of the entire Philadelphia farm system. On June 3, 1972, he replaced John Quinn
as the Phillies' general manager. Then, five weeks later, on July 10, Owens fired manager Frank Lucchesi
and assumed that job as well, to get a closer (if temporary) look at the last-place Phillies' on-field struggles.
He then returned to the front office and proceeded to turn the Phils into pennant contenders within three seasons. His farm system, one of the most productive in the game at the time, bore fruit — yielding players such as Mike Schmidt
, Greg Luzinski, Bob Boone
, Larry Bowa
and Dick Ruthven
. In addition, Owens aggressively swung trades to add missing pieces such as relief pitcher
Tug McGraw
and outfielder
s Garry Maddox and Bake McBride
. The Phils won the NL East
in - - — each time falling short in the National League Championship Series
.
Pete Rose
, but the Phils stumbled and finished fourth. Finally, in 1980, under manager Dallas Green
, the Phillies beat Houston
in an intense NLCS
and then defeated the Kansas City Royals
for the team's first world championship
.
On July 18, , Owens again decided to don a uniform and run the Phillies from the dugout as well as from the front office. He fired manager Pat Corrales
— even though Philadelphia was in first place at the time, albeit just one game over .500 — and led the club to 47 wins in 77 games. They then defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers
in four games in the NLCS
to win the Phillies' fourth pennant. During the World Series, the Phils lost to Baltimore in five games.
Owens returned to managing in , but the results were disappointing. The Phillies played only .500 ball and finished fourth, 15½ games behind the division champ Chicago Cubs
.
. His career managing record was 161-158 (.505).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
front office executive and manager
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...
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...
.
Philadelphia Phillies
Owens' entire Major League career was spent with the Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. He was the general manager
General 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....
and principal architect of the 1980 Phillies
1980 Philadelphia Phillies season
The 1980 Philadelphia Phillies season was a season in American baseball. The team finished with a regular-season record of 91 wins and 71 losses, which was good enough to regain the National League East title by just one game over the Montreal Expos...
, the third Philadelphia club to win a 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...
pennant and the first Phillie team to win a World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
— breaking a 97-year streak of futility dating to the team's founding in . He was general manager of the Phillies from June 3, , through the end of , and twice (1972; 1983-84) added the title of field manager to his job description. In he took the managerial reins of the Phillies in midyear and led them to their fourth pennant, but lost to the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
in the 1983 World Series
1983 World Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 11, 1983 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, MarylandJohn Denver, whose Thank God I'm a Country Boy was played at the seventh-inning stretch of each Orioles home game, sang the National Anthem prior to this game....
.
Playing career
Nicknamed "The Pope," Owens was born in Salamanca, New York, and attended St. Bonaventure UniversitySt. Bonaventure University
St. Bonaventure University is a private, Franciscan Catholic university, located in Allegany, Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. It has roughly 2,400 undergraduate and graduate students....
. Owens' professional playing career began in 1951 at the relatively advanced age of 27. It was spent entirely at the minor league
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...
level, and largely centered in his native upstate New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. A first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
who batted and threw right-handed, he twice (1951, 1957) batted
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.407 with the Olean Oilers
Olean Oilers
The Olean Oilers were a minor league baseball team located in Olean, New York. The team played in the Pennsylvania-Ontario-New York League from 1939 to 1951 and 1955 to 1956, and in the New York-Pennsylvania League from 1957 to 1958. It was affiliated with the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939 to 1948,...
of the Class D PONY League (now the NY-Penn League
New York - Penn League
The New York – Penn League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the northeastern United States. It is classified as a "Short-Season A" league; its season starts in June, after major-league teams have signed their amateur draft picks to professional contracts, and ends in early...
) and set a league record by hitting safely in 38 consecutive games in 1951. During his relatively brief playing career, Owens compiled a lifetime average of .374.
Managerial and front office career
In 1955, Owens was named Olean's playing manager; the following year, the Oilers became a Phillies' affiliate and Owens moved into their organization. In 1958-59, he managed Class C BakersfieldBakersfield, California
Bakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....
of the California League
California League
The California League is a Class A Advanced minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...
. He then became a scout
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
, and, eventually, director of the entire Philadelphia farm system. On June 3, 1972, he replaced John Quinn
John Quinn (baseball executive)
John Jacob Quinn was an American executive in Major League Baseball and a member of one of the game's most celebrated multi-generational families....
as the Phillies' general manager. Then, five weeks later, on July 10, Owens fired manager Frank Lucchesi
Frank Lucchesi
Frank Joseph Lucchesi is a former manager in Major League Baseball who ran the Philadelphia Phillies , Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs...
and assumed that job as well, to get a closer (if temporary) look at the last-place Phillies' on-field struggles.
He then returned to the front office and proceeded to turn the Phils into pennant contenders within three seasons. His farm system, one of the most productive in the game at the time, bore fruit — yielding players such as Mike Schmidt
Mike Schmidt
Michael Jack Schmidt is a Hall of Fame third baseman popularly considered among the greatest third basemen in the history of Major League Baseball. He played his entire career for the Philadelphia Phillies....
, Greg Luzinski, Bob Boone
Bob Boone
Robert Raymond Boone is a former catcher and manager in Major League Baseball who was a four-time All-Star. Born in San Diego, California, Bob Boone is the son of a major league player, the late third baseman Ray Boone, and the father of two major leaguers: former second baseman Bret Boone and...
, Larry Bowa
Larry Bowa
Lawrence Robert Bowa is a former middle infielder, playing mainly as a shortstop, and manager in Major League Baseball.-Early life:...
and Dick Ruthven
Dick Ruthven
Richard David Ruthven is a former Major League Baseball pitcher with a 14-year career from 1973 to 1986. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs all of the National League. During his career, Ruthven had a record of 123-127, an ERA of 4.14, and 1145 career strikeouts...
. In addition, Owens aggressively swung trades to add missing pieces such as relief pitcher
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
Tug McGraw
Tug McGraw
Frank Edwin "Tug" McGraw Jr. was a Major League Baseball relief pitcher and the father of Country music singer Tim McGraw and actor/TV personality Mark McGraw and Cari McGraw...
and outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
s Garry Maddox and Bake McBride
Bake McBride
Arnold Ray "Bake" McBride , also nicknamed "Shake n' Bake" and "The Callaway Kid", is a former Major League Baseball outfielder, known primarily as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies' teams of the late 1970s and early 1980s. He made his major league debut for the St...
. The Phils won the NL East
National League East
The National League East Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies are tied for the most National League East Division titles . All of Atlanta's NL East titles came during a record stretch of 14 consecutive division titles...
in - - — each time falling short in the National League Championship Series
National League Championship Series
In Major League Baseball, the National League Championship Series is a round in the postseason that determines who wins the National League pennant and advances to Major League Baseball's championship, the World Series, facing the winner of the American League Championship Series. The reigning...
.
1979-1984
Owens thought he added the final piece in when he signed free agentFree agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
Pete Rose
Pete Rose
Peter Edward Rose , nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. Rose played from 1963 to 1986, and managed from 1984 to 1989....
, but the Phils stumbled and finished fourth. Finally, in 1980, under manager Dallas Green
Dallas Green
George Dallas Green is a former pitcher, manager, and executive in Major League Baseball. After playing for the Philadelphia Phillies and two other teams, he went on to manage the Phillies, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets, and managed the Phillies when they won their first World Series...
, the Phillies beat Houston
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
in an intense NLCS
1980 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 7, 1980 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaGame 1 was the most ordinary contest of the series. Starters Ken Forsch and Steve Carlton dueled for the first five innings, with only one run scored by Houston in the third on an RBI single by Gary Woods...
and then defeated the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
for the team's first world championship
1980 World Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 14, 1980 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaThe Royals jumped on Philly rookie starter Bob Walk early with a pair of two run bombs—one by Amos Otis in the second and another by Willie Aikens in the third...
.
On July 18, , Owens again decided to don a uniform and run the Phillies from the dugout as well as from the front office. He fired manager Pat Corrales
Pat Corrales
Patrick Corrales , is a former catcher and manager in Major League Baseball who played from 1964–1973, primarily for the Cincinnati Reds, but also for the Philadelphia Phillies, St...
— even though Philadelphia was in first place at the time, albeit just one game over .500 — and led the club to 47 wins in 77 games. They then defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
in four games in the NLCS
1983 National League Championship Series
The National League Championship Series was a best-of-five matchup between the Western Division champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the Eastern Division champion Philadelphia Phillies...
to win the Phillies' fourth pennant. During the World Series, the Phils lost to Baltimore in five games.
Owens returned to managing in , but the results were disappointing. The Phillies played only .500 ball and finished fourth, 15½ games behind the division champ Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
.
Life-long Phillie
Paul Owens was relieved of both his GM and managing jobs during the off-season, but remained with the Phillies as a senior advisor and special scout until his death, in 2003, at age 79 in Woodbury, New JerseyWoodbury, New Jersey
Woodbury is a city in Gloucester County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, 10,307 residents were counted. Woodbury is the county seat of Gloucester County....
. His career managing record was 161-158 (.505).
Honors
- In 1986, the Phillies established the annual Paul Owens Award for the top pitcher and the top position player in their minor-league system.
External links
- "Paul Owens, 79; Shaped Champion Phillies", The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, December 28, 2003. - Baseball-Reference.com - career managing record