John Vukovich

From BR Bullpen

John Christopher Vukovich

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 6' 1", Weight 190 lb.
School American River College
High School Amador County High School
Debut September 11, 1970
Final Game August 23, 1981
Born July 31, 1947 in Sacramento, CA USA
Died March 8, 2007 in Philadelphia, PA USA

[edit] Biographical Information

Third baseman John Vukovich played parts of ten seasons in the majors, mostly with the Philadelphia Phillies. A back-up throughout his playing days, he never appeared in more than 74 games in a season and hit .161 during his career. "Vuke" was nonetheless loved by fans and teammates for his work ethic and defensive skills.

After retiring as a player, he was a Chicago Cubs coach from 1982 to 1987 and managed the team for two games in 1986. In 1988, he joined the Phillies coaching staff and remained with the club through the 2004 season. He also was the team's interim skipper for 9 games at the end of the 1988 season.

Vukovich survived a bout with brain cancer in 2001 but died in March 2007, at the age of 59, after a recurrence.

Mike Schmidt called him "the best friend I had". Larry Bowa said "..he was my best friend. He was a great guy. We played American Legion ball in Sacramento. We came up together in the minors. Anything I wanted, I just asked him."

Sources include: Sacramento Bee March 9, 2007