BIO

Whitey was born November 9, 1931 in New Athens, Illinois.  As a boy, he loved the game of baseball and would cross the Mississippi to catch a Cardinal game at Sportsman's Park at every opportunity.  Little did he ever imagine that his illustrious career would bring him back so close to his home.  Always known for his honesty and quick wit, Herzog admits, "Baseball was good to me...after I quit trying to play it."  Whitey was originally signed by the New York Yankees, immediately following his graduation from New Athens High School.  During his minor- league career, Bill Speith (a  McAlester sportscaster) gave him the nickname of "Whitey", due to his light-colored hair.  Whitey logged eight years in the majors as a player, including stints with Washington, Kansas City, Baltimore, and Detroit as a outfielder/first baseman.  His best season was in 1961, when he batted .291 and clubbed five pitch - hit homeruns for the Baltimore Orioles.

After his last year of playing in 1963, Herzog began his baseball management career, which included coaching and scouting.  He was the Director of Player Development for the New York Mets from 1967 - 1972, where he groomed players for the major league level.  This is where his prowess for evaluating talent and his excellent baseball mind were discovered.  His first season of managing was in 1973 and he went on to manage in parts of 18 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, and Texas Rangers.  He compiled a 1281 - 1125 won - lost record.  Whitey is considered to have been one of the best managers in the history of the game, with his uncanny ability to always get the most out of his lower budget teams.  He transformed the Cardinals into the 1982 World Champions from the General Manager's chair, where he served dual roles in the early 80's.  His trademark "Whiteyball", named for his style of play that emphasized speed, defense, pitching, and sound fundamental baseball, was a hit in both Kansas City and St. Louis as wins and attendance figures broke records.  "Whiteyball" was first to break the three million mark in attendance at Busch Stadium for the Cardinals and re-ignited St. Louis as a passionate baseball community, after sagging attendance during the 70's.

In four full seasons in Kansas City, Whitey had three division titles and one second-place finish.  In nine full seasons in St. Louis, the White Rat, for which he is affectionately known, directed the Cardinals to a World Series victory in 1982 and National League titles in 1985 and 1987.  His Cardinal team also had the best overall divisional record in 1981, where the players' strike split the season and the Redbirds finished second in each half.  Combined, Whitey took the Royals and the Cardinals to six trips to the post-season, resulting in six Divisional Titles, three National League Pennants, and one World Series Championship.  Along the way, he helped shape the careers of some of baseball's best, including George Brett, Ozzie Smith, Bruce Sutter, Frank White, Darrell Porter, Jack Clark, and Willie McGee.

Whitey was named "Manager of the Year" in 1976 by UPI and the Baseball Bulletin and in 1982 by The Sporting News and UPI.  The UPI also named him "Executive of the Year" in 1981 and 1982.  The Sporting News also made him "Man of the Year" in 1982.  In 1985, he was again voted  "Manager of the Year" by the Baseball Writers' Association of America for taking a club generally picked to finish last and winding up in the seventh game of the World Series.  Whitey was named Sports Illustrated's Manager of the Decade for the 1980's.  The tremendously popular Herzog was most recently voted "Manager of the Century" for the storied Cardinal franchise by the fans of St. Louis in a Post-Dispatch reader poll.  He has also been elected to the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.  In 2005, Cardinals fans voted Whitey the best manager in Busch Stadium history when electing the "All Busch Stadium Team", prior to the new stadium opening in 2006.  In 2008, Whitey was honored with a statue at the Missouri Hall of Fame making him a Legend.  Whitey's highest honor in baseball was his election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Dec. 7, 2009.  He was inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 25, 2010 in Cooperstown, New York before  his family and many friends.  The St. Louis Cardinals retired Whitey's #24 on July 31, 2010 in a ceremony at Busch Stadium.

As a player, coach, scout, Manager, General manager, Director of Player Development, and Executive Vice - President, Whitey Herzog has served baseball in more capacities than any other person.  His career, spanning more than three decades, is truly unparalleled.  Since retiring from baseball in January 1994, Herzog has stayed active by enjoying the outdoors, namely fishing, golfing, and skiing.  He established the Whitey Herzog Youth Foundation, and is active in raising money to benefit various youth baseball programs close to his heart.  He and his wife Mary Lou still reside in St. Louis, less than an hour from their childhood homes in New Athens.  They have three children, Debbie, David, and Jim, as well as nine grandchildren, and 9 great-grand children.  Always a great storyteller and a student of the game, Whitey has authored two books, The White Rat in 1987 and You're Missin A Great Game in 1999. Most recently in 2002, Whitey completed the forward to a book written by Rob Raines and Alvin Reid commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the '82 World Championship Cardinal team entitled, Whitey's Boys.