Bobby Cox, the Baseball Hall of Famer who led the Atlanta Braves to their 1995 World Series title and was a four-time Manager of the Year, has died at the age of 84.
The Braves announced Cox’s death in a statement on Saturday. The team did not give a cause of death.
“We are overcome with emotion on the passing of Bobby Cox, our treasured skipper,” the team said. “Bobby was the best manager to ever wear a Braves uniform.
“Bobby was a favorite among all in the baseball community, especially those who played for him. His wealth of knowledge on player development and the intricacies of managing the game were rewarded with the sport’s ultimate prize in 2014 – enshrinement into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
“And while Bobby’s passion for the game was unparalleled, his love of baseball was exceeded only by his love for his family. It is with the heaviest of hearts that we send our sincerest condolences to his beloved wife, Pam, and their loving children and grandchildren.”
Cox managed the Braves in two stints, first from 1978 to 1981 and then from 1990 to 2010. In the later spell, Atlanta became a National League powerhouse, winning 14 consecutive division titles, a feat no professional sports team had accomplished. They reached the World Series five times, including when they defeated Cleveland in 1995 to win the franchise’s third championship.
He managed the Toronto Blue Jays from 1982 to 1985 before returning to the Braves as general manager and later appointing himself manager. He ranks fourth all-time with 2,504 wins, fifth with 4,508 games, first with 15 division titles, first with 16 playoff appearances and fourth with 67 playoff wins. He leads all managers in baseball history with 162 ejections.
“He is the Atlanta Braves,” longtime catcher Brian McCann said in 2019. “He’s the best.”
Before beginning his managerial career, the Oklahoma native coached in the New York Yankees’ system and was on Billy Martin’s staff when they won the World Series in 1977.
Cox retired in 2010 and was unanimously inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014. He was hospitalized after a stroke in 2019 and diagnosed with congestive heart failure in 2020. Health issues kept him from attending the 2025 All-Star Game hosted by Atlanta, but he made an appearance later that year at Truist Park to honor the 30th anniversary of the Braves’ championship.
Ted Turner, the Atlanta media magnate and owner of the Braves from 1976 to 2007, died earlier this week at 87. Turner hired Cox to manage the Braves in 1978 and then fired him in 1981.
When asked what he was looking for in a replacement, Turner told reporters he wanted to hire someone exactly like Cox.
“Bobby Cox led one of the greatest eras of sustained excellence in baseball history,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “As manager of the Braves, his clubs became an October fixture, representing consistency, professionalism, and championship-caliber baseball for an entire generation of fans.
“On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Bobby’s family, the Braves organization, the many players and coaches whose lives he impacted throughout his 29-year managerial career, and Braves fans everywhere.”
