According to the Associated Press, Ralph “The Major” Houk, passed away at the age of 90 this afternoon. The Yankees organization has taken another hit, as they’ve already been mourning the loss of Bob Sheppard and George M. Steinbrenner III.
Houk played for the New York Yankees from 1947-1954. A few years later, he became Casey Stengel’s successor as manager of the ball club. He managed the team from 1961–1963, and had a second stint from 1966–1973. He won two World Series championships as manager in 1961 & 1962, and won the 1963 AL pennant.
He also managed the Detroit Tigers (1974–1978) and Boston Red Sox (1981–1984). Ralph won 1,619 games during his 20-year career, which ranks 14th on the All-Time Managerial Wins list.
R.I.P. Ralph Houk
M. B. Rozell
Kevin Rozell
Nice blog. A catcher himself, he helped mold Munson’s catching skills. He also counseled the youngster. He’s also my first “manager” as a Yankees fan. Many good memories.
It’s a terrible tragedy that Ralph Houk has passed away. You can help remember him by contributing to his memorial website at http://ralphhouk.people2remember.com/
Yeah, he’s my Yankee manager too. I guess he’s the third in the “rule of three’s”. At least I myself regained a Yankee favorite. While reading the ESPN article on Houk’s passing I discovered that Tony Kubek is still alive. For some reason I thought he died of cancer like 25 years ago. Don’t ask me where that non-factoid came from.