Following health issues for nearly a year, Dallas Green, the manager of the 1980 World Series champion Phillies, died on Wednesday. He was 82.
Green went from the fourth-level Veterans Stadium executive offices to the first-base dugout and became the first Phillies manager to win a World Series.
Born in Newport, Del., on Aug. 4, 1934, Green originally signed as a pitcher in 1955 after his junior year at the University of Delaware. He pitched in the Majors for eight seasons, six with the Phils (1960-64, '67) and one each with the Washington Senators ('65) and New York Mets ('66).
Following his playing career, Green entered player development with the Phillies. He coached in the Minors for one season, managed two seasons (1968 and '69) before becoming the assistant director of the farm system under Paul Owens in '70. When Owens was elevated to general manager in '72, Green was promoted to director of Minor Leagues and scouting.
Under Owens and Green, the Phils developed the nucleus of a team that would earn postseason berths in 1976, '77 and '78. Players that came through the system under them included Bob Boone, Larry Bowa, Mike Schmidt, Greg Luzinski, Larry Christenson, Dick Ruthven, Lonnie Smith, Keith Moreland and Marty Bystrom.
With the team struggling late in the 1979 season, Owens asked Green to leave the front office to become the manager on Aug. 31, 1979.
Green decided some things had to change in the clubhouse. He talked about team, not individual effort, and hung signs, "We, not I" in the clubhouse. The Phillies responded with a World Series victory over the Kansas City Royals in 1980.
As the Phils' manager, Green posted a 169-130 record, a .565 percentage that is tied with Steve O'Neill (.565, 1952-54) for the second best in franchise history for managing 200 or more games, behind Arthur Irwin (.575, 1894-95).
Green left the Phillies in October 1981 to become the GM of the Chicago Cubs and added the role of team president in '85. He later managed the New York Yankees and New York Mets. Green returned to the Phils as a senior advisor in 1998. In that role, he attended Spring Training and all games at Citizens Bank Park and scouted the club's Minor Leaguers.
Green is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Sylvia, four children -- Dana Ressler (Mark), John (Roxanna), Kim and Douglas (Elin) -- and five grandchildren -- Holly and Hunter Ressler, Benjamin, Fin and Dallas. In 2011, Dallas and Sylvia lost their 9-year-old granddaughter Christina-Taylor when a gunman in Tucson, Ariz., attempted to assassinate Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Shortly after losing their beloved Christina-Taylor, Dallas told the media, "I'm supposed to be a tough sucker, but I'm not very tough when it comes to this." He admitted that he would never fully recover from the tragedy.