| Rico Brogna | |
|---|---|
| First baseman | |
| Born: April 18, 1970 Turners Falls, Massachusetts |
|
| Batted: Left | Threw: Left |
| MLB debut | |
| August 8, 1992 for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 16, 2001 for the Atlanta Braves | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .269 |
| Home runs | 106 |
| Runs batted in | 458 |
| Teams | |
Rico Joseph Brogna (born April 18, 1970 in Turners Falls, Massachusetts) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman who played for the Detroit Tigers, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox, and Atlanta Braves in his career starting in 1992, and from 1994 to 2001. He was drafted 26th overall by the Detroit Tigers in 1988.
Brogna was recruited as a quarterback by Clemson University, but chose to pursue a career in baseball instead. In 1999, he hit a career high 24 home runs for the Phillies. He also hit the first home run out of thin-aired Coors Field, famous for long and frequent home runs.
Brogna was diagnosed with Ankylosing spondylitis,[1] a form of spinal arthritis, in 1991, and had to take medication for the condition on a daily basis. Concerns surrounding his condition contributed to the decision of the Mets to trade him to the Phillies during the 1996 offseason, but he recovered sufficiently to be an offensive contributor for several seasons thereafter.[2]
Brogna retired in 2001. He coached for the Nonnewaug Chiefs, a high school football team in Woodbury, Connecticut. Soon after the conclusion of the 2008 football season, Brogna resigned as coach of the Chiefs and took a volunteer job as wide receivers coach for the Wesleyan University football team. In 2010 he managed the Mobile BayBears, the Arizona Diamondbacks Double-A minor league affiliate.[3] In 2011 he was named the head football coach at Notre Dame-Fairfield high school in Connecticut, and stated he had retired from baseball (as a coach/executive) to concentrate his football duties year round.[4]
He has two children.