LOS ANGELES -- Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox died on Saturday at the age of 84. His passing stirred a lot of emotions from many of the legendary Braves figures he impacted since first joining the organization as Atlanta’s rookie manager in 1978.
Cox remained in that role until 1981 and then spent the next four seasons as Toronto’s manager. He returned to Atlanta after the 1985 season to serve as the general manager. He changed the organization’s direction in this role and then became a Hall of Famer while serving as Atlanta’s manager from midway through the 1990 season until the end of 2010.
Atlanta won 14 consecutive division titles from 1991-2005, won five NL pennants and captured the World Series title under Cox’s direction.
Here is what some of the Braves greats had to say about the legendary leader. Thoughts from others will be added when gathered:
Chipper Jones
Hall of Famer. Selected by Cox with the first overall pick in the 1990 Draft. Played for Atlanta from 1993 MLB debut through 2012 retirement. Cox was his manager through 2010.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt he’s the most influential figure in Braves history. You can’t really call it a turnaround because we hadn’t really won much up until the 1990s. But he changed the culture and he is responsible for a lot of players that contributed to the sustained success that we had for so long. For him to draft those players, get them in the organization, hire the right people to develop them, and then ultimately manage them at baseball's highest level, yeah, I'd say he's the most influential.
“He’s probably the number one reason I played my entire career for the Braves. He gave me the opportunity to play baseball by drafting me. But it was also the example he set while managing. I didn't want to play anywhere else. I knew that we would have a chance to win every year. When you’ve got leadership like Bobby and obviously John [Schuerholz], you'd be foolish to test the waters when you’ve got a good thing, right here. So, Bobby was a major reason why I didn't want to go anywhere.”
Dale Murphy
Murphy played for Cox from 1978-81 and again during the 1990 season, before being traded to the Phillies. Cox was also still serving as the GM at the time. So, he made this trade more than a decade after helping Murphy become a two-time NL MVP (1982 and ‘83) by transitioning him from catcher to first base and ultimately to the outfield.
“I just remember Bobby, as a lot of guys would, as giving you a chance and understanding that you're going to mess up. Bobby was in your corner and you were his guy if you were wearing a Braves uniform and he was the manager. He hung in there longer than a lot of managers would. He changed the arc of my career for sure because he was determined to find ways to have my bat in the lineup when I was struggling as a catcher.
“We weren’t very good those first few years he was our manager. But we got better and then finally won. I think Joe Torre would tell you this too, the 1982 team that won the division was Bobby’s team. He got fired after the 1981 season. But he built that team and Joe came into the role with a pretty good group.”
Tom Glavine
Hall of Fame pitcher who played for Cox from 1990-2002 and 2008.
“I think the one word that continues to come up when I think of Bobby is his passion. His passion for the game, passion for his players, passion for his job, and what he brought to the ballpark every day. I think it was hard to ignore. I think it was a big reason why everybody loved playing for him, and would seemingly run through a wall for him, because you saw it on display every night. The minute he came down in that dugout, in full uniform with his spikes on and ready to go, there was just a passion to win the game and fight for every inch of advantage he could get for his players. I think that was something that was pretty evident on a nightly basis.”
Andruw Jones
Hall of Fame outfielder who played for Cox from 1996-2007.
“Bobby meant everything to me in my baseball career. I’ve said this before, he was like my second dad. He took the chance to give me the opportunity to go out there and be the baseball player that I was, and he trusted me. When a legend tells you to go out there and that they trust you, you never want to fail them. I took a lot of pride in going out there to help him get the team where we wanted to be. Bobby meant everything to me, not just in baseball career, but in guiding me to be the person I am.”