Connie Ryan
Cornelius Joseph Ryan was an American professional baseball second baseman, third baseman, coach and manager who served as interim manager of two Major League Baseball teams, the Atlanta Braves and the Texas Rangers. A native of New Orleans who attended Louisiana State University, he batted and threw right-handed and was listed as tall and.
During his playing days, Ryan appeared in 1,184 games over 12 MLB seasons, and compiled a lifetime batting average of.248 with 988 career hits for the New York Giants, Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds and Redlegs, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox. On April 16, 1953, Ryan made six hits in six at bats in a 14–12 loss to Pittsburgh, tying a then-Major League record. Ryan's safeties included two doubles; he scored three runs and had one run batted in.
Ryan spent much of his baseball career with the Braves, working for them in three different cities: as a player in Boston ; a coach and minor league manager for Milwaukee during the late 1950s ; and as a coach, interim manager and scout for the Atlanta club during the 1970s. Ryan succeeded Clyde King as skipper of the Atlanta Braves on August 30, 1975, and guided the team to a record of 9–18 over the final 27 games of the season.
In 1977, Ryan began the season as a coach for the Texas Rangers. In a season of managerial turmoil, Texas skipper Frank Lucchesi was replaced by Eddie Stanky, a teammate of Ryan's on the 1948–49 Braves, on June 22. But Stanky resigned after only one game. Ryan then filled the breach for six games from June 23–27, while the Rangers signed Billy Hunter, the longtime Baltimore Orioles third-base coach, as their permanent manager. Ryan's career managerial mark was 11–22. He remained a Rangers' coach through 1979.
During the 1960s, Ryan also spent several seasons as a scout and minor league manager for the Houston Astros and briefly worked for the Kansas City A's.
He died at age 75 in Metairie, Louisiana.
