Arizona Wildcats: Top 30 athletes in school history

Oct 4, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona (17) stands in the dugout before a game against the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field. Cleveland won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Terry Francona found success playing baseball at the Univeristy of Arizona and in the Major Leagues both as a player and a manager.

While attending the University of Arizona, Francona helped the Wildcats win the 1980 College World Series where he was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.  Also in 1980, he won the Golden Spikes Award given to the best player in Collegiate basketball.

Terry “Tito” Francona, the 2013 MLB American League Manager of the year, is the current Manager for the Cleveland Indians. In 2013, Francona’s team won 92 games and lost in the playoffs in a Wild Card game to the Tampa Bay Rays. He has worked in Major League Baseball as a manager for 15 years getting his start with the Philadelphia Philly’s for four seasons, and then with the Boston Redsox for eight seasons, and the remaining three with the Cleveland Indians.

But Francona hasn’t always been a manager, he was initially drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 1st round (22nd pick) of the 1980 MLB draft to play at first base. His MLB debut was at the age of 22 on August 19, 1981, and he continued to play professional baseball for a decade for five teams; Montreal Expos (5), Chicago Cubs (1), Cincinnati Reds (1), Cleveland Indians (1), and ended his career with the Milwaukie Brewers (2). Francona played in 708 games, walked up to the plate to hit 1,731 times, scored 163 times, and hit 16 home runs in his career.

In between his managerial stints with the Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians, Francona tried his hand at sports broadcasting for both Fox and ESPN.

Francona has been sighted on the University of Arizona campus recently for the Utah vs. Arizona football game, and he also took in a basketball game.

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