Bob Watson
A powerful hitter who broke barriers, becoming the first African American general manager to win a World Series with the Yankees in 1999.
1946–2020 (age 74)·American baseball player and coach·Birthday: April 10·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bob Watson's baseball life was a study in substance and groundbreaking progress. As a player, he was a model of consistency, a line-drive hitter who compiled a .295 career average over 19 seasons, primarily with the Houston Astros. He was tough, smart, and respected. But his deeper impact came after he hung up his cleats. Transitioning into front-office work, Watson climbed the ranks with the Astros and later the New York Yankees. In 1995, he was appointed General Manager of the Houston Astros, becoming one of the first African Americans to hold that title in MLB. His crowning achievement came with the Yankees, where as GM he built the team that won the 1996 World Series and oversaw the 1998 squad considered one of the greatest ever, though he had departed before that season. Watson's career was a quiet trailblazing, proving excellence in every facet of the game.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bob was born in 1946, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bob Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Bob's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 60
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 70
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2020Died at 74
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
Key Achievements
- Became the first African American General Manager in Major League Baseball history with the Houston Astros in 1993 (officially appointed after the 1994 season).
- As General Manager of the New York Yankees, constructed the team that won the 1996 World Series.
- Scored the one-millionth run in MLB history on May 4, 1975, while playing for the Houston Astros.
- Was a two-time MLB All-Star (1973, 1975) and finished his playing career with a .295 batting average.
Did You Know?
He is credited with popularizing the term 'RBI' as an official statistic while serving on MLB's scoring rules committee.
Watson hit for the cycle in both the American League and the National League.
After retiring as a player, he served as MLB's Vice President of Rules and On-Field Operations.
He was traded from Houston to Boston in 1979 for two players and $400,000.
“A good hitter hits the ball where it's pitched, hard and on a line.”
