Major League Baseball Player, Manager. He guided the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates' team to the World Championship Title. Born Charles William Tanner, he attended Shenango High School before being signed as an amateur free agent by the Boston Braves in 1946. He broke into the Major Leagues with the Milwaukee Braves on April 12, 1955 (he hit a home run on the first pitch of his first at bat) and appeared in 97 games with them that season, recording 60 hits with a .247 batting average. For eight seasons (1955 to 1962), he played at the outfielder position with the Braves, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Angels, compiling 231 hits with a .261 lifetime batting average in 396 career games. Following his playing career, Tanner served as a Minor League manager from 1963 until 1970 before returning to the big league level as manager of the Chicago White Sox towards the end of the 1970 season. With him at the helm, they improved to a 87 win, 67 loss record in 1972 and a second place finish behind the Athletics in the American League West Division; Tanner was named Sporting News Manager of the Year that season. After a stint as manager of the Oakland Athletics (1976), he was acquired by Pittsburgh in a transaction which sent catcher Manny Sanguillen (who returned to the Pirates in 1978) to Oakland and succeeded Danny Murtaugh as manager of the Pirates, where he remained at that capacity from 1977 until 1985. The 1979 Pirates squad affectionately dubbed the "We Are Family" team which consisted of Hall of Fame player Willie Stargell and slugger Dave Parker rallied from a 3 games to 1 deficit to capture the World Series title over the Baltimore Orioles. Tanner's final managerial assignment was with the Atlanta Braves from 1986 until 1988. He amassed a 1,352 win, 1,381 loss career record. His son Bruce Tanner briefly pitched with the White Sox during the 1985 season and served on the Pirates' coaching staff from 2001 until 2005.
Major League Baseball Player, Manager. He guided the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates' team to the World Championship Title. Born Charles William Tanner, he attended Shenango High School before being signed as an amateur free agent by the Boston Braves in 1946. He broke into the Major Leagues with the Milwaukee Braves on April 12, 1955 (he hit a home run on the first pitch of his first at bat) and appeared in 97 games with them that season, recording 60 hits with a .247 batting average. For eight seasons (1955 to 1962), he played at the outfielder position with the Braves, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Angels, compiling 231 hits with a .261 lifetime batting average in 396 career games. Following his playing career, Tanner served as a Minor League manager from 1963 until 1970 before returning to the big league level as manager of the Chicago White Sox towards the end of the 1970 season. With him at the helm, they improved to a 87 win, 67 loss record in 1972 and a second place finish behind the Athletics in the American League West Division; Tanner was named Sporting News Manager of the Year that season. After a stint as manager of the Oakland Athletics (1976), he was acquired by Pittsburgh in a transaction which sent catcher Manny Sanguillen (who returned to the Pirates in 1978) to Oakland and succeeded Danny Murtaugh as manager of the Pirates, where he remained at that capacity from 1977 until 1985. The 1979 Pirates squad affectionately dubbed the "We Are Family" team which consisted of Hall of Fame player Willie Stargell and slugger Dave Parker rallied from a 3 games to 1 deficit to capture the World Series title over the Baltimore Orioles. Tanner's final managerial assignment was with the Atlanta Braves from 1986 until 1988. He amassed a 1,352 win, 1,381 loss career record. His son Bruce Tanner briefly pitched with the White Sox during the 1985 season and served on the Pirates' coaching staff from 2001 until 2005.
Bio by: C.S.
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Manager 1979 World Series Champion Pittsburgh Pirates
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