Charlie Fox

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For other persons with a similar name, see Charles Fox.

Charles Francis Fox (October 7, 1921–February 16, 2004) was an American manager, general manager, scout, coach—and, briefly, a catcher—in Major League Baseball. As manager of the National League West Division champion San Francisco Giants in 1971, he was named "Manager of the Year" by The Sporting News.

Born in New York City, Fox appeared in only three games as a player (garnering three hits in seven at bats for a career batting average of .429) with the 1942 New York Giants, but Fox would spend another 33 years in that organization as a minor league catcher and manager and as a manager, scout and coach for the Giants, who relocated to San Francisco in 1958. Fox spent eight years as manager of the Giants' Class C St. Cloud team in the Northern League, scouted from 1957–63, then managed the Giants' AAA Tacoma club of the Pacific Coast League in 1964 before coming to the major leagues as a San Francisco coach in 1965. He returned to the PCL to manage the Giants' Phoenix club in 1969–70 until he was summoned to San Francisco in May 1970 to replace Clyde King as the manager of the big club.

Fox led the Giants to the NL West title in 1971, losing to the eventual world champion Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Championship Series. Subsequently, the Giants made a series of bad trades and fell from contention thereafter. In mid-1974, after compiling a record of 348–327 (.516), Fox was replaced as manager by former stalwart Giants catcher Wes Westrum.

In 1976, he joined the front office of the Montreal Expos and served as the club's emergency manager when Karl Kuehl was fired September 4. After winning only 12 of 34 games to close out the season, Fox was named the club's general manager and was succeeded on the field by Dick Williams. He held the GM title in Montreal through the 1978 season.

Fox, however, was destined to serve another term as an interim manager. In 1983, while working as a special assistant to Chicago Cubs general manager Dallas Green, Fox took over from embattled skipper Lee Elia and managed the Cubs for the final 39 games of the season, winning 17 and losing 22. He later coached under Green with the New York Yankees, and scouted for the Houston Astros.

Fox's career major league managing record was 377–371 (.504).

Fox died at age 82 in Stanford, California.

[edit] External link

• Baseball-Reference.com - career managing record and playing statistics

Preceded by Clyde King	San Francisco Giants Manager 1971–1974	Succeeded by Wes Westrum
Preceded by Karl Kuehl	Montreal Expos Manager 1976	Succeeded by Dick Williams
Preceded by Lee Elia	Chicago Cubs Manager 1983	Succeeded by Jim Frey
Preceded by Jim Fanning	Montreal Expos General Manager 1976–1978	Succeeded by John McHale