KEY Magazine Fort Worth

Bragan to Pass Connie Mack as Oldest Manager
in Pro Baseball Aug. 15, 2005

Bobby Bragan will pass the legendary Connie Mack to become the oldest manager in professional baseball history when he manages the Fort Worth Cats on Aug. 15 at LaGrave Field as the Cats take on the Coastal Bend Aviators at 7:05 p.m.

Bragan will be 87 years, nine months and 16 days old, making him seven days older than Connie Mack was when he managed his final game on Oct. 1, 1950 against the Washington Senators.

Bragan managed for seven seasons in the big leagues, beginning with Pittsburgh in 1956 and 1957. He spent part of the 1958 season at the helm in Cleveland before moving to Milwaukee in 1963 to manage the Braves. Bragan was the Braves’ manager until the team relocated in 1966 and he became the first skipper in Atlanta Braves history.

He gained legendary status in Fort Worth for his role as player/manager for the Dodgers’ Double-A farm team, the Fort Worth Cats from 1948-1952. During that stretch, the Cats never finished below .500 and won the Texas League pennant twice.

His playing career lasted seven seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies and Dodgers. He got a hit in his only World Series at bat in 1947 with the Dodgers.

Bragan makes his home in Fort Worth and now serves as Chairman/CEO of the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation, which provides college scholarships to eighth grade students. Along with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroads, Bragan in 2004 introduced the BNSF “Fair Poles” to LaGrave Field, home of the Fort Worth Cats, making it the only ballpark in America with “fair poles” instead of “foul poles”.

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