List of Nashville Vols managers
![](../I/m/Larry_Gilbert.jpg)
![](../I/m/John_Dobbs.jpg)
![](../I/m/Bill_Bernhard_1902.jpeg)
![](../I/m/Roy_Ellam.jpg)
The Nashville Vols minor league baseball team employed 25 managers during its 62 seasons of play from its creation in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1901 through its final season of 1963.[1] These managers led their team in 9,019 regular season games and compiled a win–loss record of 4,571–4,448 (.507).[2] They had a post-season record of 110–77–1 (.588) in 188 games.[3][4] Playing in an era when it was common to have player-managers, 16 men managed the team at the same time as they were playing on the field. Originally known as the Nashville Baseball Club, the team did not receive their official moniker, the Nashville Volunteers, until 1908.[5] However, the team was, and is, commonly referred to as the Vols.
Seven managers guided the team to win the Southern Association pennant or win the league's post-season championship. Ike Fisher (1901 and 1902), Bill Bernhard (1908), Roy Ellam (1916), and Larry Gilbert (1940, 1943, 1948, and 1949) managed the Vols to win the pennant. Larry Gilbert (1939, 1940, 1942, 1943, and 1944), Rollie Hemsley (1949), Don Osborn (1950), and Hugh Poland (1953) led the team to win post-season Southern Association championship tournaments. Larry Gilbert (1940, 1941, and 1942) and Rollie Hemsley (1949) managed the Nashville team to win the Dixie Series, a best-of-seven playoff series between the Southern Association and Texas League.[1][2]
Larry Gilbert won 818 games from 1939 to 1948, placing him first on the all-time wins list for Vols managers. Having managed the team for 1,478 games, 10 full seasons, he is also the longest-tenured manager in team history. The manager with the highest winning percentage over a full season or more is Rollie Hemsley, whose 1949 team had a .625 winning percentage. Conversely, the lowest winning percentage over a season or more is .338 by manager Mickey Finn from 1905 to 1906.
Table key
A running total of the number of Vols managers. Thus, any manager who had two or more separate terms is only counted once. | |
Winning percentage: number of wins divided by number of games managed in the regular season | |
Playoff appearances: number of seasons this manager led the franchise to the playoffs | |
Playoff wins: number of wins this manager accrued in the playoffs | |
Playoff losses: number of losses this manager accrued in the playoffs | |
Playoff ties: number of ties this manager accrued in the playoffs | |
Playoff winning percentage: number of wins divided by number of games managed in the playoffs | |
![]() | Indicates a player-manager |
Managers
# | Manager | Years | Games | Wins | Losses | W% | PA | PW | PL | PT | PW% | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ike Fisher![]() | 1901–04 | 508 | 292 | 216 | .575 | — | — | — | — | — | [6] |
2 | Mickey Finn | 1905–06 | 272 | 92 | 180 | .338 | — | — | — | — | — | [7] |
3 | John Dobbs![]() | 1907 | 137 | 59 | 78 | .431 | — | — | — | — | — | [8] |
4 | Bill Bernhard![]() | 1908–10 | 408 | 221 | 187 | .542 | — | — | — | — | — | [9] |
5 | Bill Schwartz![]() | 1911–15 | 710 | 350 | 360 | .493 | — | — | — | — | — | [10] |
6 | Roy Ellam![]() | 1916–20 | 650 | 311 | 339 | .478 | — | — | — | — | — | [11] |
7 | Hub Perdue![]() | 1921 | 152 | 62 | 90 | .408 | — | — | — | — | — | [12] |
8 | Larry Doyle![]() | 1922 | 152 | 56 | 96 | .368 | — | — | — | — | — | [13] |
9 | Jimmy Hamilton![]() | 1923–27 | 762 | 401 | 361 | .526 | — | — | — | — | — | [14] |
— 10 | Jimmy Hamilton Pants Rowland | 1928[a] | 153 | 59 | 94 | .386 | — | — | — | — | — | [14][15] |
— | Pants Rowland | 1929–30 | 306 | 156 | 150 | .510 | — | — | — | — | — | [15] |
11 | Joe Klugmann![]() | 1931–32 | 306 | 126 | 180 | .412 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | .250 | [16] |
12 | Chuck Dressen![]() | 1933 | 146 | 77 | 69 | .527 | — | — | — | — | — | [15][17] |
— 13 | Chuck Dressen Lance Richbourg ![]() | 1934[b] | 152 | 87 | 65 | .572 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 | [17] [2] |
14 15 — | Frank Brazill![]() Johnny Butler Lance Richbourg ![]() | 1935[c] | 151 | 82 | 69 | .543 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 | [18] [19] [2] |
— | Lance Richbourg![]() | 1936–37 | 304 | 166 | 138 | .546 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 | [15] |
— | Chuck Dressen | 1938 | 150 | 84 | 66 | .560 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 1 | .400 | [17] |
16 | Larry Gilbert | 1939–48 | 1,478 | 818 | 660 | .553 | 8 | 64 | 33 | 0 | .660 | [20] |
17 | Rollie Hemsley![]() | 1949 | 152 | 95 | 57 | .625 | 1 | 12 | 7 | 0 | .632 | [21] |
18 | Don Osborn![]() | 1950–51 | 304 | 164 | 140 | .539 | 1 | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 | [22] |
19 | Hugh Poland | 1952–54 | 460 | 222 | 238 | .483 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 | [23] |
20 | Joe Schultz | 1955 | 151 | 77 | 74 | .510 | — | — | — | — | — | [24] |
21 | Ernie White | 1956 | 154 | 75 | 79 | .487 | — | — | — | — | — | [25] |
22 | Dick Sisler![]() | 1957–59 | 457 | 246 | 211 | .538 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 0 | .400 | [26] |
23 | Jim Turner | 1960 | 153 | 71 | 82 | .464 | — | — | — | — | — | [27] |
24 | Red Robbins![]() | 1961 | 152 | 69 | 83 | .454 | — | — | — | — | — | [28] |
25 | John Fitzpatrick | 1963 | 139 | 53 | 86 | .381 | — | — | — | — | — | [29] |
Totals | 25 managers | 62 seasons | 9,019 | 4,571 | 4,448 | .507 | 17 | 110 | 77 | 1 | .588 | — |
Notes
- a Jimmy Hamilton and Pants Rowland both managed the Vols in 1928. As no information is available as to each manager's individual records, their records for this season are combined.
- b On July 30, 1934, Chuck Dressen took over as manager of the Cincinnati Reds. Outfielder Lance Richbourg was named as his replacement.[2] As no information is available as to each manager's individual records, their records for this season are combined.
- c Frank Brazill, Johnny Butler, and Lance Richbourg all managed the Vols at some point in 1935. As no information is available as to each manager's individual records, their records for this season are combined.
References
- General
- Nipper, Skip (December 30, 2013). "Managing the Nashville Baseball Club, 1901–1961". 262 Down Right. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
- Specific
- 1 2 "Nashville Vols Year-by-Year Results" (PDF). 2015 Nashville Sounds Media Guide. Nashville Sounds. 2015. pp. 200–1. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Timeline" (PDF). Southern Association Baseball. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
- ↑ O'Neal, Bill (1994), The Southern League: Baseball in Dixie, 1885–1994, Eakin Press, pp. 306–308, ISBN 0890159521
- ↑ Nipper, Skip (2007), Baseball in Nashville, Arcadia Publishing, p. 25, ISBN 9780738543918
- ↑ Nipper, Skip (October 1, 2013). "Name That Team". 262 Down Right. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
- ↑ "Ike Fisher Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ↑ "Mickey Finn Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ↑ "John Dobbs Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ↑ "Bill Bernhard Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ↑ "Bill Schwartz Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ↑ "Roy Ellam Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ↑ "Hub Perdue Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ↑ "Larry Doyle Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- 1 2 "Jimmy Hamilton Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 Nipper, Skip (December 30, 2013). "Managing the Nashville Baseball Club, 1901–1961". 262 Down Right. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
- ↑ "Joe Klugmann Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- 1 2 3 "Chuck Dressen Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ↑ "Frank Brazill Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ↑ "Johnny Butler Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ↑ "Larry Gilbert Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ↑ "Rollie Hemsley Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ↑ "Don Osborn Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ↑ "Hugh Poland Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ↑ "Joe Schultz Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ↑ "Ernie White Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ↑ "Dick Sisler Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ↑ "Jim Turner Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ↑ "Red Robbins Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ↑ "John Fitzpatrick Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015.