Dave Bristol

James David Bristol (born June 23, 1933 in Macon, Georgia) is a former manager in Major League Baseball in the 1960s and 1970s. He managed the Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, Atlanta Braves, and San Francisco Giants during this period.

Success in the minors, and with the Reds

Bristol attended the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and Western Carolina University. A right-handed hitting and throwing infielder, he never played in the Major Leagues. Bristol became a playing manager in the Cincinnati farm system at the age of 24 with the Hornell Redlegs of the Class D New York-Penn League in 1957. By 1964, he was managing the Reds' top farm team, the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League, where, at age 31, he won a pennant and playoff title — the fifth league championship of his eight-year career to date. In nine seasons (1957-65) as a minor league pilot, his teams won 652 games and lost 562 (.537).

In 1966, Bristol was named to the Reds' coaching staff, and when the team performed badly under rookie skipper Don Heffner, Bristol took over the club as manager on July 13. At 33, he was the youngest pilot in the major leagues. Bristol guided the Reds through 3½ winning seasons, but he was dismissed following the 1969 campaign. Sparky Anderson, who took over from Bristol, would go into the Baseball Hall of Fame as the leader of the "Big Red Machine."

Cincinnati (298-265, .529) represented the highwater mark of Bristol's managing career. He had losing teams thereafter, and his career managing record shows 657 win and 764 defeats (.462).

Later struggles as MLB manager

Not long after being fired by the Reds, Bristol was hired by the Seattle Pilots as the second manager in their history. He walked into a very difficult situation; the Pilots were on the verge of bankruptcy, and went to spring training not knowing whether they'd play in Seattle or Milwaukee in 1970. Just six days before Opening Day, the Pilots got word they'd be moving to Milwaukee as the Brewers. However, the Brewers assumed the Pilots' place in the American League West Division, and were thus saddled with the longest road trips in the league. As a result, Bristol was never able to put together a winning team, and was fired after the 1972 season.

In 1977, Bristol served as Atlanta Braves manager on two different occasions. Braves owner Ted Turner decided after a long losing streak that he would take over the managerial reins of the team. However, this only lasted for one game (a 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates) as baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn forbade Turner from managing further due to major league rules prohibiting players or managers from owning a share of a team. Afterward, Turner rehired Bristol for the remainder of the season. He last managed in MLB with the Giants late in the 1979 season and all of 1980 before he was replaced by Frank Robinson, prior to the 1981 season.

In addition to his rookie MLB season with Cincinnati, Bristol also served as the third-base coach of the Montreal Expos (1973-75) and Giants (1978-79), plus two terms with the Philadelphia Phillies (1982-85; 1988), and two additional stints with the Reds (1989; 1993).

External links

• Baseball-Reference.com - career managing record

Managerial jobs

Preceded by first manager Hornell Redlegs manager 1957 Succeeded by last manager Preceded by first manager Geneva Redlegs manager 1958 Succeeded by Reno DeBenedetti Preceded by Larry Taylor Geneva Redlegs manager 1959 Succeeded by last manager Preceded by Tony Pacheco Palatka Redlegs manager 1960 Succeeded by Mike Fandozzi Preceded by Johnny Vander Meer Topeka Redlegs manager 1961 Succeeded by last manager Preceded by Jerry Snyder Macon Peaches manager 1962–1963 Succeeded by Red Davis Preceded by Don Heffner San Diego Padres (PCL) manager 1964–1965 Succeeded by Frank Lucchesi Preceded by Don Heffner Cincinnati Reds manager 1966–1969 Succeeded by Sparky Anderson Preceded by Joe Schultz Milwaukee Brewers manager 1970–1972 Succeeded by Del Crandall Preceded by Connie Ryan Ted Turner Atlanta Braves manager 1976–1977 1977 Succeeded by Ted Turner Bobby Cox Preceded by Joe Altobelli San Francisco Giants manager 1979–1980 Succeeded by Frank Robinson Preceded by Reggie Otero Bruce Kimm Sam Perlozzo Cincinnati Reds third base coach 1966 1989 1993 Succeeded by Vern Benson Sam Perlozzo Bobby Valentine Preceded by Jim Bragan Montreal Expos third base coach 1973–1975 Succeeded by Ozzie Virgil, Sr. Preceded by Lee Elia Philadelphia Phillies third base coach 1982–1985 Succeeded by Lee Elia

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Name	Bristol, Dave
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Date of birth	June 23, 1933
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