Bobby Cox, manager of Braves' teams
that ruled National League and won 1995 World Series, dies at 84
[May 12, 2026]
By CHARLES ODUM
ATLANTA (AP) — Bobby Cox, the folksy manager of the Atlanta Braves
whose teams ruled the National League during the 1990s and gave the
city its first major title as well as World Series trips that fell
short, died Saturday. He was 84.
Cox died in Marietta, Georgia, according to the Atlanta Braves. He
had a stroke in 2019 and heart issues that complicated his recovery.
“Bobby was the best manager to ever wear a Braves uniform. He led
our team to 14 straight division titles, five National League
pennants, and the unforgettable World Series title in 1995. His
Braves managerial legacy will never be matched,” the Braves said in
a statement.
Cox took over a last-place team in June 1990 and led the Braves to a
worst-to-first finish in 1991, losing the World Series to the
Minnesota Twins in seven games. That was the start of what was to
become a record 14 consecutive division titles, a feat no
professional team in any sport had accomplished.
He managed the Braves for 25 years and led Atlanta to its first
World Series title in 1995, retired after the 2010 season and was
inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014.
Cox ranks fourth all-time with 2,504 wins, fifth with 4,508 games,
first with 15 division titles including a record 14 in a row, first
with 16 playoff appearances and fourth with 67 playoff victories.
Only Connie Mack, John McGraw and Tony La Russa had more
regular-season wins than Cox.
“He was the first one to the park every day," Atlanta manager Walt
Weiss said of Cox. "He’d have his spikes on at 12 o’clock. I never
saw a manager wear spikes, but that was one of Bobby’s trademarks.
He just loved the game. He loved the game, and he loved leading a
group of men trying to win a championship.”
Cox also was first in being ejected from 158 regular-season games.
Weiss, who called Cox instrumental in bringing him back to the
Braves as a bench coach, was asked if he might get tossed in Cox's
honor.
“It’s a different game now, you know, a very different era,” Weiss
said. "Nobody can do it like Bobby, believe me.”
Cox's death came four days after that of fellow Atlanta icon Ted
Turner, who as owner of Braves lured Cox back to the team in 1990.
The Braves retired Cox’s No. 6 jersey in 2011, when he joined the
team’s Hall of Fame.
“RIP my second father,” Andruw Jones wrote on social media. The
10-time Gold Glove winner with Atlanta in July will become the sixth
who played for Cox with the Braves to be inducted into the Hall of
Fame.
Cox spent 29 seasons as a major league manager, including four with
Toronto. He managed 16 postseason teams. He brought an old-school
approach to the dugout. He always wore spikes and stirrups, and his
fatherly demeanor inspired loyalty from his players.
Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux said players around the league
always wanted to know what it was like playing for Bobby Cox: “The
first word that comes to mind is respect. He had that from players.
When Bobby talked, we listened. We wanted to play for him.”
Cox was the first NL manager to win at least 100 games in a season
five times. He was Manager of the Year four times and the only one
to win in consecutive years (2004, 2005). He also had close ties
with his successors, Fredi González and Brian Snitker.
He regularly attended games and spring training before a stroke in
2019 that affected his speech and movement. Cox recovered enough to
visit the Braves later that season, watching a game from the press
box level. His wife, Pam, said in 2020 that heart trouble slowed his
recovery from the stroke.
His long marriage survived a 1995 confrontation in which he was
accused of hitting his wife in the face. He was charged with simple
battery and in custody for an hour. The following day, Bobby and Pam
appeared at a news conference and each denied he hit her in the
face.
[to top of second column] |
Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox smiles while talking to reporters
during team practice at Turner Field in Atlanta, Oct. 4, 2005. (AP
Photo/Ed Reinke, File)
Cox said the couple would seek counseling. The
charge was eventually dropped.
Despite all his regular-season success, Cox won
only the one World Series title in five tries. He led the Braves to
Atlanta’s first major professional sports championship in 1995,
beating the Cleveland Indians in six games to win the World Series.
Cox said critics usually focused on the World Series losses instead.
The Braves lost in 1992 to Toronto in six games and in 1996 in six
to the New York Yankees before being swept by the Yankees in 1999.
“It’s a game of breaks when you get down to a four-game, must-win
series,” Cox said. “We’ve played well. We’re proud of what we’ve
done. They always ask that, though. It is irritating, to be honest
with you.”
Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on May 21, 1941, Cox graduated from Selma
High School in California in 1959 and attended nearby Reedley Junior
College before signing with the Dodgers for a $40,000 bonus.
He spent seven years in the Dodgers’ farm system before being traded
to the Braves’ organization, playing one year at Richmond (1967). He
was traded to the Yankees for Bob Tillman and Dale Roberts and
played third base for his only two seasons in the majors (1968-69)
before bad knees forced him to retire at age 30.
Cox began the first of six years as a minor league manager in 1971.
He returned to the majors in 1977 as a first base coach for the
Yankees, who went on to win the World Series.
His first major league managerial job came with the Braves in 1978.
The best season of his first stint in Atlanta was an 81-80 finish in
1980, and he went 266-323 in four seasons.
The Toronto Blue Jays hired Cox in 1982, and he led them to their
first American League East championship in 1985, in his fourth and
final year there. He was lured back to the Braves as general manager
by Turner, their outrageous owner and visionary media mogul, in
1986.
As GM, his Atlanta teams never had a winning season. Cox did develop
players key to the Braves’ success in the ’90s: Tom Glavine, John
Smoltz, Jeff Blauser, Mark Lemke, Dave Justice, Javy Lopez and Ron
Gant. He also had two No. 1 draft picks who excelled, Steve Avery
and Chipper Jones.
Cox returned as field manager on June 22, 1990, after Russ Nixon was
fired.
Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman played the first 12 seasons of
his career with the Braves. He recalled Cox giving him 80 plate
appearances in spring training when he was 19. Freeman has a jersey
signed from Cox saying, “To Freddie, keep on hitting.”
“He lived a great life,” Freeman said. "Everyone loved him in
baseball. Braves country loved him.”
Cox usually shied away from the limelight and was uncomfortable when
talking about himself.
“Honestly, I’m just doing my job. I let everything else fall where
it may,” he said.
___
AP freelance writer Dan Greenspan contributed from Los Angeles.
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