Dallas Green (baseball)
A towering, blunt baseball lifer who shouted the Philadelphia Phillies to their first World Series championship as a manager.
1934–2017 (age 83)·American baseball player and manager·Birthday: August 4·The Silent Generation
Biography
Dallas Green was a force of nature in baseball, a 6'5" pitcher whose on-field career was solid but whose true impact came from a voice that could rattle lockers and a will that refused to lose. After his playing days ended, he moved into the front office, where his keen eye for talent helped build the Phillies' farm system. In 1980, with the team floundering, he was thrust into the manager's role. His no-nonsense, confrontational style, a shock to the system for the veteran club, was the exact spark needed. He bullied, cajoledled, and led the 'Wheeze Kids' to the franchise's first World Series title. Later, as a general manager for the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees, he was a central figure in historic trades, forever shaping the destinies of multiple franchises with his decisive, often polarizing, approach.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Dallas was born in 1934, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dallas Was Born
The biggest hits of 1934
#1 Movie
It Happened One Night
Best Picture
It Happened One Night
Dallas's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1934Born
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1939Started school
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1947Became a teenager
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1950Could drive
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1952Could vote
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1955Turned 21
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1964Turned 30
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
1974Turned 40
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1984Turned 50
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1994Turned 60
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 70
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 80
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2017Died at 83
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
Key Achievements
- Managed the Philadelphia Phillies to their first World Series championship in 1980.
- Served as the general manager who traded for future Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, a cornerstone of the Chicago Cubs for years.
- Had a professional baseball career spanning over six decades as a player, manager, scout, and executive.
- Won a World Series ring as a player with the 1961 New York Mets, though he was injured and did not play in the series.
Did You Know?
He was the opposing manager when the Chicago Cubs famously lost the 'Sandberg Game' in 1984, a contest that launched Ryne Sandberg's superstar status.
His nickname as a player was 'Dallas Green, the Pitching Machine.'
He was the first manager to lead both a National League team (Phillies) and an American League team (Yankees) to first-place finishes.
“I'm not here to be loved. I'm here to be respected and to win.”
