Connie Ryan

{{short description|American baseball player and manager (1920–1996)}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Connie Ryan

|image=Connie Ryan 1953.jpg

|position=Second baseman / Manager

|birth_date={{birth date|1920|2|27}}

|birth_place=New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.

|death_date={{Death date and age|1996|1|3|1920|2|27}}

|death_place=Metairie, Louisiana, U.S.

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|debutleague=MLB

|debutdate=April 14

|debutyear=1942

|debutteam=New York Giants

|finalleague=MLB

|finaldate=April 19

|finalyear=1954

|finalteam=Cincinnati Redlegs

|statleague=MLB

|stat1label=Batting average

|stat1value=.248

|stat2label=Home runs

|stat2value=56

|stat3label=Runs batted in

|stat3value=381

|stat4label=Managerial record

|stat4value=11–22

|stat5label=Winning %

|stat5value=.333

|teams=

As player

New York Giants ({{mlby|1942}})
Boston Braves ({{mlby|1943}}–{{mlby|1944}}, {{mlby|1946}}–{{mlby|1950}})
Cincinnati Reds ({{mlby|1950}}–{{mlby|1951}})
Philadelphia Phillies ({{mlby|1952}}–{{mlby|1953}})
Chicago White Sox ({{mlby|1953}})
Cincinnati Redlegs ({{mlby|1954}})

As manager

Atlanta Braves ({{mlby|1975}})
Texas Rangers ({{mlby|1977}})

|highlights=

All-Star (1944)
World Series champion ({{wsy|1957}})

}}

Cornelius Joseph Ryan (February 27, 1920 – January 3, 1996) was an American professional baseball second baseman, third baseman, coach and manager who served as interim manager of two Major League Baseball teams, the {{mlby|1975}} Atlanta Braves and the {{mlby|1977}} Texas Rangers.

A native of New Orleans who attended Louisiana State University, he batted and threw right-handed and was listed as {{convert|5|ft|11|in}} tall and {{convert|175|lb}}.

During his playing days, Ryan appeared in 1,184 games over 12 MLB seasons, and compiled a lifetime batting average of .248 with 988 career hits (among them 58 home runs) with the New York Giants, Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds / Redlegs, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox.

On April 16, 1953, Ryan (then with the Phillies) made six hits in six at bats in a 14–12 loss to Pittsburgh, tying a then-Major League record. Ryan's safeties included two doubles; he scored three runs and had one run batted in.Retrosheet [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1953/B04160PIT1953.htm box score: 1953-04-16]

Ryan spent much of his baseball career in the Braves organization, working for them in three different cities: as a player in Boston (he was a utility infielder for the 1948 National League champions); a coach and minor league manager for Milwaukee during the late 1950s (he was the third-base coach on Fred Haney's staff during the Braves' 1957 world championship season); and as a coach (1971; 1973–74), interim manager (1975) and scout for the Atlanta club during the 1970s. Ryan succeeded Clyde King as skipper of the Atlanta Braves on August 30, 1975,{{Cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1964&dat=19750831&id=dccqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Is0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=1806,260063 |title=Atlanta fires Clyde King promotes Connie Ryan |access-date=2016-10-07 |archive-date=2020-02-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203191151/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1964&dat=19750831&id=dccqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Is0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=1806,260063 |url-status=dead }} and guided the team to a record of 9–18 over the final 27 games of the season.

In 1977, Ryan began the season as a coach with the Texas Rangers. Texas manager Frank Lucchesi was replaced by Eddie Stanky, a teammate of Ryan's on the 1948–49 Braves, on June 22. Stanky resigned after one game, and Ryan served as interim manager for six games (with Texas winning two) from June 23 to 27. The Rangers signed Billy Hunter, the longtime Baltimore Orioles third-base coach, as their permanent manager. Ryan's career managerial mark was 11–22 (.333). He remained a Rangers' coach through 1979.

During the 1960s, Ryan also spent several seasons as a scout and minor league manager with the Houston Astros and briefly worked with the Kansas City A's.

He died at age 75 in Metairie, Louisiana.