Dave Bristol

James David Bristol (born June 23, 1933) is an American former manager in Major League Baseball in the 1960s and 1970s. He managed the Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, Atlanta Braves, and San Francisco Giants during this period.

Dave Bristol
Manager
Born: (1933-06-23) June 23, 1933
Macon, Georgia
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 15, 1966, for the Cincinnati Reds
Last MLB appearance
October 5, 1980, for the San Francisco Giants
MLB statistics
Games1424
Win–Loss record657–764
Winning %.462
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Success in the minors, and with the Reds

Bristol attended high school at the Baylor School in Chattanooga, TN. He then went on to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Western Carolina University. A right-handed hitting and throwing infielder, he never played in the Major Leagues. Bristol became a playing manager in the Cincinnati farm system at the age of 24 with the Hornell Redlegs of the Class D New York–Penn League in 1957. By 1964, he was managing the Reds' top farm team, the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League, where, at age 31, he won a pennant and playoff title—the fifth league championship of his eight-year career to date. In nine seasons (1957–65) as a minor league pilot, his teams won 652 games and lost 562 (.537).

In 1966, Bristol was named to the Reds' coaching staff, and when the team performed badly under rookie skipper Don Heffner, Bristol took over the club as manager on July 13. At 33, he was the youngest pilot in the Major Leagues that season through 1969. Bristol guided the Reds through 312 winning seasons, but he was dismissed following the 1969 campaign. Sparky Anderson, who took over from Bristol, would go into the Baseball Hall of Fame as the leader of the "Big Red Machine".

Cincinnati (298–265, .529) represented the highwater mark of Bristol's managing career. He would never manage another winning club.

Later struggles as MLB manager

Not long after being fired by the Reds, Bristol was hired by the Seattle Pilots as the second manager in their history. He walked into a very difficult situation; the Pilots were on the verge of bankruptcy, and went to spring training not knowing whether they would play in Seattle or Milwaukee in 1970. Just six days before Opening Day, the Pilots got word they would be moving to Milwaukee as the Brewers. The Brewers under Bristol were never able to put together a winning team; he was fired 30 games into the 1972 season.

In 1976, Bristol was hired as manager of the Atlanta Braves. Midway through the 1977 season, with the Braves mired in a 16-game losing streak, owner Ted Turner sent Bristol on a 10-day "scouting trip" and took over as his own manager. This only lasted for one game (a 2–1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates) before National League president Chub Feeney ordered Turner to give up the reins, citing major league rules which forbid managers or players from owning stock in a team.[1] After the Braves broke the streak with third-base coach Vern Benson as interim manager, Bristol—who had returned to his offseason home in Andrews, North Carolina—was brought back to finish out what was at the time the worst season in the Atlanta portion of Braves history (61–101—including a 60–100 record by Bristol). He was fired at the end of the season.[2] He last managed in MLB with the Giants late in the 1979 season and all of 1980 before he was replaced by Frank Robinson, prior to the 1981 season. He finished with a career managerial record of 657 win and 764 defeats (.462).

In addition to his rookie MLB season with Cincinnati, Bristol also served as the third-base coach of the Montreal Expos (1973–75) and Giants (1978–79), plus two terms with the Philadelphia Phillies (1982–85; 1988), and two additional stints with the Reds (1989; 1993).

In 2018, he was named to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.[3]

References

  1. Hannon, Kent (May 5, 1977). "Benched from the Bench". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  2. "Atlanta Fires Bristol As Team Starts Rebuilding". The Blade. Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press (AP). October 26, 1977. p. 46. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  3. Wallner, Jeff (July 23, 2018). "Adam Dunn, Fred Norman, Dave Bristol earned spot in Reds Hall of Fame". WCPO. Retrieved March 29, 2020.


Preceded by
first manager
Hornell Redlegs manager
1957
Succeeded by
last manager
Preceded by
first manager
Geneva Redlegs Manager
1958
Succeeded by
Reno DeBenedetti
Preceded by
Larry Taylor
Geneva Redlegs Manager
1959
Succeeded by
last manager
Preceded by
Tony Pacheco
Palatka Redlegs Manager
1960
Succeeded by
Mike Fandozzi
Preceded by
Johnny Vander Meer
Topeka Redlegs Manager
1961
Succeeded by
last manager
Preceded by
Jerry Snyder
Macon Peaches Manager
19621963
Succeeded by
Red Davis
Preceded by
Don Heffner
San Diego Padres (PCL) Manager
19641965
Succeeded by
Frank Lucchesi
Preceded by
Frank Oceak
Bruce Kimm
Sam Perlozzo
Cincinnati Reds 3rd base coach
1966
1989
1993
Succeeded by
Vern Benson
Sam Perlozzo
Bobby Valentine
Preceded by
Jim Bragan
Montreal Expos 3rd base coach
19731975
Succeeded by
Ozzie Virgil, Sr.
Preceded by
Lee Elia
Philadelphia Phillies 3rd base coach
19821985
Succeeded by
Lee Elia


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