Jack McKeon
Shaking hands with Jack McKeon (left), George W. Bush (right) on January 24, 2004.
Manager
Born: November 23, 1930 (1930-11-23) (age 79) South Amboy, New Jersey
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 6, 1973 for the Kansas City Royals
Last MLB appearance
October 2, 2005 for the Florida Marlins
Career statistics
Games	1952
Win-Loss Record	1011-940
Winning %	.518
Career highlights and awards
NL Manager of the Year in 1999 and 2003

John Aloysius McKeon (born November 23, 1930 in South Amboy, New Jersey^[1][2]), nicknamed Trader Jack, is a former manager in Major League Baseball, most recently for the Florida Marlins, where he won a World Series in 2003. When he retired after the 2005 season at age 74, he was the third oldest manager in major league history, behind only Connie Mack and Casey Stengel. He currently works in the Marlins' front office.

McKeon previously managed the Kansas City Royals from 1973 to 1975, the Oakland Athletics in 1977 and 1978, the San Diego Padres from 1988 to 1990, and the Cincinnati Reds from 1997 to 2000. From 1981 to 1990, he served as general manager of the Padres, forming the team which won the 1984 National League pennant.

[edit] Florida Marlins

McKeon was named National League Manager of the Year in 1999 and 2003. The latter award was a result of leading the Marlins, who had a record below .500 when he took the job as their manager during the season, to a World Series victory. With that victory, he became, at 72, the oldest manager to win the World Series, winning against the New York Yankees, whom he wanted to play his first World Series against,^[3] having lived in South Amboy, New Jersey^[1] and attending Yankee games while a child.^[3]

On October 2, 2005, just after the Marlins won the last game of the 2005 season, McKeon announced that he would not be returning the following season. McKeon led the Marlins to three of the four winning seasons in franchise history, but there was a consensus within the organization that a managerial change was in order. Players complained that McKeon was too abrasive, and clubhouse tension mounted as the season soured.

As a manager, he won 1,011 games and lost 940, for a winning percentage of .518, over all or parts of 15 seasons. He is the only manager in Marlins history to date with a winning record for his tenure with the team (241-207, .538 in just under three seasons).

[edit] Legacy

As a player, McKeon, a catcher, spent his entire career in the minor leagues. He managed in the farm system of the original Washington Senators franchise, and its successor, the Minnesota Twins, and scouted for the Twins before joining the Royals in 1968 as skipper of their Class A High Point-Thomasville farm team. He led their AAA affiliate, the Omaha Royals of the American Association, from 1969 through 1972, and won two league championships.

McKeon is also the author of two books, Jack of All Trades and I'm Just Getting Started.

Jack currently lives in Elon, North Carolina.

[edit] Managerial records

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Major league career managerial statistics from Baseball-Reference