Bill Rigney
William Joseph Rigney
(Specs or The Cricket)
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 1", Weight 178 lb.
- High School Oakland (CA) High School
- Debut April 16, 1946
- Final Game September 12, 1953
- Born January 29, 1918 in Alameda, CA USA
- Died February 20, 2001 in Walnut Creek, CA USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Bill Rigney played eight seasons in the majors and managed for eighteen. He was a broadcaster for the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics. He also scouted and was briefly in the front office for the A's.
Before his major league days he played for a semi-pro team sponsored by his family, and then later for the Oakland Oaks. Rigney's entire playing career in the majors was with the New York Giants. He was the same age as outfielder Sid Gordon. Bill didn't come to the majors until age 28, mainly because he missed 1943-1945 while serving his country in the Coast Guard during World War II.
Rigney played a lot of middle infield, appearing at second base a bit more often than at shortstop or third base.
He was named to the All-Star team in 1948 and appeared in the 1951 World Series.
He was managing the Giants by the time he was age 38, and went with them to San Francisco in 1958. He was manager when Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, and Juan Marichal broke in. Later, he managed the expansion Los Angeles Angels for their first nine years (1961-1969). His only championship was a division winner with the Minnesota Twins in 1970, a team which featured Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, Jim Kaat, and Bert Blyleven.
Notable Achievements[edit]
- NL All-Star (1948)
- ML Manager of the Year Award (1962)
- Division Titles: 1 (1970)
| Preceded by Leo Durocher |
New York/San Francisco Giants Manager 1956-1960 |
Succeeded by Tom Sheehan |
| Preceded by N/A |
Los Angeles/California Angels Manager 1961-1969 |
Succeeded by Lefty Phillips |
| Preceded by Billy Martin |
Minnesota Twins Manager 1970-1972 |
Succeeded by Frank Quilici |
| Preceded by Wes Westrum |
San Francisco Giants Manager 1976 |
Succeeded by Joe Altobelli |
Further Reading[edit]
- Bill Rigney (as told to George Vass): "The Game I'll Never Forget", Baseball Digest, October 1975, pp. 75-79. [1]
- Fay Vincent: "Bill Rigney", in We Would Have Played For Nothing, Simon & Schuster, New York, NY, 2008, pp. 37-49.
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