Dallas Green, Manager of the 1980 Phillies, Dies at 82

By: Matt Alberston, Historical Columnist

Dallas Green, the first manager to pilot the Philadelphia Phillies to a World Series championship in 1980, died as a result from complications of kidney disease today at the age of 82. The 6-foot-5 inch Green had a large personality with a booming voice and replaced player-favorite manager Danny Ozark as skipper in 1979."I'm a screamer, a yeller and a cusser…I never hold back" Green said of himself and it was an attitude that didn't always make him popular among the players.

He brought up young players and rookies to challenge the veterans so that they wouldn't get too comfortable and lose their edge. Larry Bowa, a member of the 1980 team and current bench coach, explained that while Green's attitude and decisions sometimes rubbed players the wrong way, he was usually right. Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt echoed Bowa's comments, saying that Green "didn't beat around the bush" and was blunt, characteristics that Schmidt grew to respect.

Green held what seemed like every position that a person could hold in a baseball organization before his 1980 triumph. He was a wild pitcher who transitioned into a manager's role at the minor league level in 1967, rose to director of the Phillies minor league system in 1972 and eventually became the club manager in 1979. The 1980 season persisted much like the 1979 season with player's not performing up to expectations.

Theteam and manager finally clicked and rode their relationship all the way to a champagne celebration at Veteran's Stadium on October 21, 1980. During the post game festivities, Green – champagne soaked and overwhelmed with excitement and relief – said that the organization challenged the players every day and pressured them to achieve what everyone knew they could achieve: a World Series championship. Green moved on from Philadelphia in 1981 to Chicago where he guided the Cubs to the post season in 1984 as the club's GM. He returned to the Phillies in the late 1990s and was a fixture at Spring Training in Clearwater and with management in Philadelphia.