George Kissell
George Marshall Kissell
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 9", Weight 175 lb.
- School Ithaca College
- Born September 9, 1920 in Watertown, NY USA
- Died October 7, 2008 in Tampa, FL USA
Biographical Information[edit]
George Kissell was employed by the St. Louis Cardinals from 1940 until his death in 2008. His affiliation with the club was the longest in baseball. His last position was as a spring training instructor. The Pinellas Park police said Kissell had been a passenger in a car driven by his daughter, Karolyn Kidwell, that collided with another auto.
He graduated from Ithaca College and held a bachelor's degree and master's degree in physical education and history.
Kissell began his career as an infielder after a tryout in Rochester in 1940. He was signed by Branch Rickey for $125 a month. He led the Southeastern League in Stolen Bases with 31 in 1942 and the Pony League in Triples with 15 in 1949. After three years of service in the U.S. Navy during World War II, it was clear Kissell was not headed to Sportsman's Park so he began coaching in the minor leagues but continued to play until 1952.
Kissell managed the independent Lawrence Millionaires in 1946 where one of his players was Lawrence "Crash" Davis. He managed the Hamilton Cardinals in 1948 and 1949. He managed the 1950 Winston-Salem Cardinals to a 106-47 record and the Carolina League title. That team was selected as the 61st greatest team in minor league history. Kissell managed the Omaha Cardinals form 1951 to 1953, the Columbus Cardinals in 1954, the Lynchburg Cardinals in 1955, the Peoria Chiefs in 1956, and the Winston-Salem Red Birds in 1957. From 1958 to 1962, he scouted instead of managing except briefly in 1961 he was the second of five managers for the Johnson City Cardinals. Resuming managing, he was with the Brunswick Cardinals in 1963, the Raleigh Cards in 1964, the FRL Cardinals in 1965, and the GCL Cardinals from 1966 to mid-1968. He became a coach for the big-league Cards in 1968
On the 1950 Winston-Salem team was a young second baseman named Earl Weaver. Weaver, a Hall of Famer, called Kissell one of his greatest influences in baseball. Kissell also advised Tony LaRussa to go into coaching.
Kissell served at the major league level under manager Red Schoendienst from 1969 to 1975. In 1976, he returned to the minors. His last title was senior field coordinator for player development.
2006 marked Kissell's 67th season in the Cardinals organization.
Year-by-Year Managerial Record[edit]
He also managed the Cardinals' entry in the 1962-1963, 1965-1968 Florida Instructional League and 1964 Florida East Coast Instructional League.
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