Tony LaRussa is the former manager of the St Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics, and Chicago White Sox.
| FactSnippet No. 2,299,926 |
22 Facts About Tony LaRussa
2.
Tony LaRussa then earned a Juris Doctor degree from Florida State University.
| FactSnippet No. 2,299,927 |
3.
Tony LaRussa left Oakland after the 1995 season to manage the Cardinals, whom he led the team to three National League championships and the 2006 and 2011 World Series titles.
| FactSnippet No. 2,299,928 |
4.
Tony LaRussa was raised in nearby Ybor City, Florida, where his parents had met while they were working in the local cigar factory.
| FactSnippet No. 2,299,929 |
5.
La Russa family moved to West Tampa, Florida, where Tony played American Legion baseball and PONY League baseball alongside teammate Lou Piniella.
| FactSnippet No. 2,299,930 |
6.
Tony LaRussa spent the entire 1963 season in the majors, as was required by his signing as a "bonus baby".
| FactSnippet No. 2,299,931 |
7.
Tony LaRussa had suffered an off-season shoulder injury while playing softball with friends, and this limited him to only 34 games in 1963, in which he hit.
| FactSnippet No. 2,299,932 |
8.
Tony LaRussa made it back up to the A's, which had since moved to Oakland, in 1968 and 1969.
| FactSnippet No. 2,299,933 |
9.
Tony LaRussa spent the entire 1970 season with the A's, and then late in 1971 the A's traded him to the Atlanta Braves.
| FactSnippet No. 2,299,934 |
10.
Tony LaRussa spent time in the organizations of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox, and St Louis Cardinals.
| FactSnippet No. 2,299,935 |
11.
Tony LaRussa made 63 appearances at second base, 18 at shortstop, and two at third base, fielding.
| FactSnippet No. 2,299,936 |
12.
Tony LaRussa earned a Juris Doctor degree from Florida State University College of Law in 1978.
| FactSnippet No. 2,299,937 |
13.
Tony LaRussa is associated with a Sarasota law firm although he is not eligible to practice at this time.
| FactSnippet No. 2,299,938 |
14.
Tony LaRussa is one of a select number of major league managers in baseball history who have graduated from law school or passed a state bar exam; others include James Henry O'Rourke, John Montgomery Ward, Hughie Jennings, Miller Huggins, Muddy Ruel, Jack Hendricks, and Branch Rickey.
| FactSnippet No. 2,299,939 |
15.
Tony LaRussa became the first manager to win the award four times.
| FactSnippet No. 2,299,940 |
16.
Tony LaRussa passed Bobby Cox for 2nd place on the all-time postseason wins list with his 68th win in Game 3.
| FactSnippet No. 2,299,941 |
17.
Tony LaRussa became the first manager in baseball history to return to managing after being elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a manager.
| FactSnippet No. 2,299,942 |
18.
Tony LaRussa managed 5,097 games, joining Mack as the second manager or coach in American sports history to reach 5,000 games.
| FactSnippet No. 2,299,943 |
19.
Tony LaRussa is one of only four managers to be named Manager of the Year in both of baseball's major leagues.
| FactSnippet No. 2,299,944 |
20.
Tony LaRussa managed his 2,500th win against the Royals at Kansas City on June 21,2009, becoming only the third manager to attain that win level after Mack and McGraw.
| FactSnippet No. 2,299,945 |
21.
Tony LaRussa was inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.
| FactSnippet No. 2,299,946 |
22.
Tony LaRussa was found asleep at the wheel of his running SUV with the car in park at an intersection.
| FactSnippet No. 2,299,947 |