Cornelius McGillicuddy (December 22, 1862 – February 8, 1956), better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball catcher, manager, and team owner. Mack holds records for the most wins (3,731), losses (3,948), ties (76), and games managed (7,755) in Major League Baseball (MLB) history. His victory total is 847 more than the second-highest: Tony La Russa's 2,884 wins. Mack's lead in career losses is even greater, with 1,449 more than La Russa's 2,499. Mack also has 17 more ties than the next-closest manager, Clark Griffith, who has 59.
Mack managed the Philadelphia Athletics for its first 50 seasons of play, starting in 1901; was at least part-owner from 1901 to 1954; and retired after the 1950 season at age 87. He was the first American League manager to lead a team to 100 wins, doing so in 1910, 1911, 1929, 1930, and 1931; his five 100-win seasons are second-most in MLB history, with only two other managers surpassing him. He was the first manager to win the World Series three times, and he is the only manager to win consecutive Series on two occasions (1910–11, 1929–30); his five Series titles remain the third-most by any manager, and his nine American League pennants rank second in league history. However, constant financial struggles forced repeated rebuilding of the roster, and Mack's teams also finished in last place 17 times, including ten seasons in which the Athletics lost 100 games.
Mack was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937.
Early life and education Mack was born Cornelius McGillicuddy on December 22, 1862, in Brookfield, Massachusetts, in what is now East Brookfield.Davis, p. 3 His parents, Michael McGillicuddy and Mary McKillop, were immigrants from Ireland: Michael from Killarney in County Kerry, and Mary from the Catholic section of Belfast.Macht, pp. 22-23 A wheelwright by trade, Michael served with the 51st Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War. He suffered from several ailments as the result of his military service; after the war, he was able to work only infrequently and drew a disability pension.Macht, p. 13
As with many Irish immigrants whose names began with "Mc", the McGillicuddys were often referred to as "Mack", except in official and legal documents.Macht, pp. 22–23 Michael’s father was named Cornelius McGillicuddy, and by tradition, the family named at least one son in each generation Cornelius.Macht, p. 11 "Connie" is a common nickname for Cornelius, so Cornelius McGillicuddy was called "Connie Mack" from an early age. He did not have a middle name, but many accounts erroneously give him the middle name "Alexander"; this error probably arose because his son Cornelius McGillicuddy Jr. took Alexander as his confirmation name. Connie Mack never legally changed his name; on the occasion of his second marriage at age 48, he signed the wedding register as "Cornelius McGillicuddy".Macht, p. 494 His nickname on the baseball field was "Slats", for his height of 6 feet 2 inches and thin build.Macht, p. 14
Mack was educated in East Brookfield, and began working summers in local cotton mills at age 9 to help support his family.Macht, p. 15 He quit school after completing the eighth grade at age 14, intending to work full-time to contribute to the family's support, as several of his siblings had done.Macht, p. 16 He clerked at a store, worked on local farms, and worked on the production lines of the shoe factories in nearby towns.Macht, pp. 19-20
Mack was also a good athlete and frequently played baseball and some of its predecessor games with local players in East Brookfield.Davis, p. 3 In 1879 his skills landed him a place on East Brookfield's town team, which played other town teams in the area. Though younger than his teammates by several years, Mack was the team's catcher and de facto captain.Davis, p. 6
Professional career
Beginning in 1886, Mack played 10 seasons in the National League and one in the Players' League, for a total of 11 seasons in the Major Leagues, mainly as a catcher.
Minor leagues Beginning in 1884, he played on minor league teams in the Connecticut cities of Meriden and Hartford.
Washington Nationals (1886–1889) Mack was sold to the Washington Nationals (sometimes called the Statesmen or the Senators) of the National League in 1886.Macht, p. 44.
Buffalo Bisons (1890) In the winter of 1889, he jumped to the Buffalo Bisons of the new Players' League, investing his entire life savings of $500 in shares in the club.Macht, p. 72. But the Players' League went out of business after only a year, and Mack lost his job and his whole investment.
Pittsburgh Pirates (1891–1896) In December 1890 Mack signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League and remained with them for the rest of his career as a full-time player.Macht, p.86.
As a player, Mack was "a light-hitting catcher with a reputation as a smart player, but didn't do anything particularly well as a player."James, p. 60.
Mack was one of the first catchers to position himself directly behind home plate instead of in front of the backstop. According to Wilbert Robinson, "Mack never was mean ... [but] if you had any soft spot, Connie would find it. He could do and say things that got more under your skin than the cuss words used by other catchers."
In addition to verbally needling batters to distract them, he developed skills such as blocking the plate to prevent base runners from scoring and faking the sound of a foul tip. (He was probably responsible for the 1891 rule change requiring that a batter must have two strikes against him in order to be called out if the catcher caught a foul tip.)Macht, p. 56. Besides tipping bats to fake the sound of a foul tip, Mack became adept at tipping bats to throw off the hitter's swing. ("Tipping" a bat is to brush it with the catcher's mitt as the batter swings, either delaying the swing or putting it off course, so that the batter misses the ball or does not hit it solidly. If the umpire is aware that a bat has been tipped, whether intentionally or unintentionally, he calls catcher's interference.) Mack never denied such tricks:
Farmer Weaver was a catcher-outfielder for Louisville. I tipped his bat several times when he had two strikes on him one year, and each time the umpire called him out. He got even, though. One time there were two strikes on him and he swung as the pitch was coming in. But he didn't swing at the ball. He swung right at my wrists. Sometimes I think I can still feel the pain. I'll tell you I didn't tip his bat again. No, sir, not until the last game of the season and Weaver was at bat for the last time. When he had two strikes, I tipped his bat again and got away with it.Mack, Connie. My 66 Years in Baseball, Universal House, Philadelphia, 1952.
Managerial career Pittsburgh Pirates (1894–1896)
Mack's last three seasons in the National League were as a player-manager with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1894 to 1896, with a 149–134 (.527) record. Mack was fired on September 21, 1896,Macht, p. 128 retiring as a full-time player.
Minor leagues Mack accepted a deal from Henry Killilea to act as manager and occasional backup catcher for the minor league Milwaukee Brewers (the modern-day Baltimore Orioles). He agreed to a salary of $3,000 () and 25% of the club.Macht, p. 131. He managed the Brewers for four seasons from 1897 to 1900, their best year coming in 1900, when they finished second, behind the Chicago White Stockings. It was in Milwaukee that he first signed pitcher Rube Waddell, who would follow him to the big leagues.
Philadelphia Athletics (1901–1950) On November 8 1900, Mack became manager of the new American League's then unnamed Philadelphia ballclub, which eventually became known as the Athletics. Shortly after, he would be named treasurer and part owner of that said franchise.Warrington, Bob. . Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
Mack managed the Athletics through the 1950 season, compiling a record of 3,582–3,814 (.484) when he retired at 87. Mack won nine pennants and appeared in eight World Series, winning five.
Mack's 50-year tenure as Athletics manager is the most ever for a coach or manager with the same team in North American professional sports, and has never been seriously threatened. A few college coaches had longer tenures: John Gagliardi was a head football coach from 1949 to 2012, ending with 60 seasons at Saint John's of Minnesota; Eddie Robinson was head football coach at Grambling State for 57 seasons, from 1941 (when it was known as the Louisiana Negro Normal and Industrial Institute) to 1997; Herb Magee served as head men's basketball coach of the institution now known as Jefferson for 54 years from 1967 to 2022 (the school canceled the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19 concerns). Joe Paterno, with 62 seasons as a college football coach for the Penn State Nittany Lions also surpassed Mack, although Paterno was head coach in only 46 of those years. College football pioneer Amos Alonzo Stagg also surpassed Mack in overall tenure, though not in tenure for a single employer; he was a head coach for 55 seasons in all (1892–1946), with the first 41 at Chicago (1892–1932).
Mack was widely praised in the newspapers for his intelligent and innovative managing, which earned him the nickname "the Tall Tactician". He valued intelligence and "baseball smarts," always looking for educated players. (He traded away Shoeless Joe Jackson despite his talent because of his bad attitude and unintelligent play.Macht, p. 475-77.) "Better than any other manager, Mack understood and promoted intelligence as an element of excellence."James, p.63. He wanted men who were self-directed, self-disciplined and self-motivated; his ideal player was Eddie Collins.Macht, p. 406-420. According to baseball historian Bill James, Mack was well ahead of his time in having numerous college players on his teams. Several of his players went on to become well-respected college coaches. Jack Coombs, the ace of Mack's 1910–11 champions, became the longtime coach at Duke. Andy Coakley, who won 20 games for Mack's 1905 pennant winners, coached for over 30 years at Columbia, where he was the college coach for Lou Gehrig. Dick Siebert, longtime coach at Minnesota, played for Mack from 1938 to 1945. James believed that Mack's influence on the game, as great as it was, would have been even greater had the college game been more popular during the 1920s and 1930s, when Mack was at his peak.James, p. 64.
According to James, Mack looked for seven things in his players—"physical ability, intelligence, courage, disposition, will power, general alertness and personal habits."
As a result of Mack's striving to have his players become better people as well as baseball players, he created a Code of Conduct following the 1916 season:Kashatus, p. 35
I will always play the game to the best of my ability. I will always play to win, but if I lose, I will not look for an excuse to detract from my opponent's victory. I will never take an unfair advantage in order to win. I will always abide by the rules of the game—on the diamond as well as in my daily life. I will always conduct myself as a true sportsman—on and off the playing field. I will always strive for the good of the entire team rather than for my own glory. I will never gloat in victory or pity myself in defeat. I will do my utmost to keep myself clean—physically, mentally, and morally. I will always judge a teammate or an opponent as an individual and never on the basis of race or religion.