Huge contract lures Williams to job as Senators’ manager
Washington Senators owner Bob Short decided that a monumental move was needed to turn his franchise into a hit. So Short turned to the man who may have been the greatest hitter of all time.
On Feb. 21, 1969 – after a protracted negotiation – Short convinced Hall of Famer Ted Williams to sign on as his team’s new manager. Williams received a contract reported to be worth more than $1 million, including a salary of nearly $100,000 and the option to purchase stock in the team.
“I’m ready to go,” Williams told the Associated Press in the days before the contract became official as details of the deal were hammered out. “I’m really getting excited about it.”
Williams had wrapped up his 19-year playing career with the Red Sox following the 1960 season, retiring with a .344 batting average, 521 home runs and an on-base percentage of .482 that ranks first on the all-time list. He spent much of the next few years fishing and tending to business interests while also serving as a Spring Training coach for Boston.
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In 1966, Williams was elected to the Hall of Fame on his first appearance on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot.
The Senators, who debuted in the American League in 1961 as an expansion team after the original Senators relocated to Minnesota, had never had a winning season in their first eight years and only once had produced at least 75 victories. Short, a trucking magnate, bought the Senators on Dec. 3, 1968, and quickly set about changing the team’s fortunes.
The National Football League’s Washington Redskins had recently signed legendary coach Vince Lombardi to coach the team, and Short was determined to find the baseball equivalent of the legendary Green Bay Packers leader.
“I suggested a time and he suggested a time,” Short told the New York Daily News of his negotiations with Williams. “I suggested money and he suggested money.”
The two parties soon settled on a deal that would put Williams in charge of a team that won just 66 games in 1968, finishing last in the AL and scoring just 524 runs during what came to be known as the Year of the Pitcher.
“It’s been written time and again – and it’s true – that he’s the best hitting coach in the business, and that is what’s lacking in the game,” Phil Rizzuto told the Daily News. “Learning a little diplomacy may be his biggest obstacle, but if he’s given half a chance, he’ll make a fine manager.”
Williams assembled an all-star coaching staff, including Nellie Fox and Wayne Terwilliger, and he led the Senators to 86 wins and a fourth-place finish in the new American League East. Washington batters scored 170 more runs than the previous year with Williams providing instruction.
It marked the first time since 1952 that either of the Senators clubs had finished with a record above .500. For his efforts, Williams was named the American League Manager of the Year by the Associated Press.
But Williams and the Senators could not replicate their magic in subsequent seasons. Washington won just 70 games in 1970 and 63 the following year, leading Short to move the team to Arlington, Texas, for the 1972 campaign. Following a 54-100 record that year, Williams and the Rangers parted ways.
The Splendid Splinter would not manage in the majors again. But for one shining season, Williams was able to translate his passion for the game into a winning formula.
“He’ll have to decide for himself whether managing is for him,” Williams’ former Red Sox teammate Dom DiMaggio told the New York Daily News in February of 1969. “I’ll say one thing: The thought of Ted managing is very interesting and, quite possibly, it will be very exciting.”
Craig Muder is the director of communications for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
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