Ralph Houk
Former catcher Ralph Houk replaced legend Casey Stengel as manager of the Yankees in 1961, in an unpopular move. He guided the team to pennants his first three seasons, winning championships in his first two, before being replaced by Yogi Berra following the 1963 season. He returned to manage the Yankees in 1966, overseeing the team as their 60-year dynasty fell apart. Houk was a second-string catcher for the Yankees after serving as a major in the U.S. Army in World War II. He was a tough, competitive leader, who later mellowed somewhat and became a fine teacher of young players. He never won another pennant after winning three in his first three seasons as a skipper, despite managing for 20 years. |
Full bio ⇓
| Career Batting Stats |
| G |
AB |
H |
R |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
SLG |
OBP |
OPS |
OPS+ |
| 91 |
158 |
43 |
12 |
0 |
20 |
0 |
.272 |
.323 |
.327 |
.650 |
90.3 |
|
Teams Ralph Houk Managed
New York Yankees (1961-1973)
Detroit Tigers (1974-1978)
Boston Red Sox (1981-1984)
Best Season: 1961
The Yankees were, up to that time, the most explosive home run-hitting team of all-time. Behind Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, as well as a talented and deep pitching corps, the Bombers fought off the Detroit Tigers to win the pennant, and quickly dispatched the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series.
Factoids
Ralph Houk is the only manager to win pennants in his first three seasons as a major league manager (1961-1963).
Full Bio
Yogi Berra bumped Houk off the Yankee map in the late 1940s, becoming the teams starting catcher. Houk spent the next seven years getting a cup of coffee with the Bombers in September every year and backing up Yogi when needed, but mostly playing in the minors.
When Houk retired as a player in 1955, he was named manager of the Yanks' Denver minor league team, which he led for three seasons. After three years as a Yankee coach under Casey Stengel, Houk was named to replace his mentor. The Yankees responded with a monster year in '61, and a second straight World Series title in 1962, but after the Dodgers swept them in the 1963 Fall Classic, Houk moved upstairs to become GM and VP, and was replaced on the field by Berra.
Berra wasn't ready to be a major league manager, even though the Yanks won the pennant in '64. After their Series loss to the Cardinals, the team shocked everyone by hiring St. Louis skipper Johnny Keane away from their opponents. Keane failed to post a winning record in New York and Houk was brought back to the dugout early in 1966, after the Yanks had gotten off to a 4-16 start. He managed the team for the next eight seasons, the longest stretch of any Yankee skipper without winning a pennant.
Houk stepped down as Yankee manager following the 1973 season, and the Yankees tried to persuade Dick Williams, manager of the World Champion A's, to join the team. When they failed, the Yankees hired Bill Virdon to lead the team. The Tigers, who had fired Billy Martin late in the '73 season, jumped on Houk. The veteran manager helped rebuild the Tigers, leaving them far better in 1978 than he had found them. He left after the '78 season, saying he wished to "spend time with his grandchildren."
Three years later he was dragged out of retirement by the Red Sox, and he managed them for four full seasons, with mediocre success. He retired again, having never been fired in his two decades in baseball management.
Future Managers who Played for Houk
Yogi Berra, Billy Gardner, Mike Ferraro, Dick Howser, Bobby Cox, Gene Michael, Felipe Alou, Hal Lanier, Gene Lamont, Jerry Manuel, Bruce Kimm, Alan Trammell, Tony Perez, Glenn Hoffman, Jeff Newman.
Born
Ralph George Houk was born on August 9, 1919, in Lawrence, KS.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Major League Debut
4 26,
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1947
Nellie Fox
Duke Snider
Larry Doby
Jackie Robinson
Curt Simmons
Mel Parnell
Vic Wertz
Ted Kluszewski
Ferris Fain
Nicknames
Major
Similar Players
As a manager: Dallas Green, Bobby Cox, Lou Piniella
Post-Season Appearances
1947 World Series
1952 World Series
Learn More about Ralph Houk
Search Amazon.com for Books about Ralph Houk ⇒
Search for Ralph Houk at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒