Ralph Houk
From BR Bullpen
Ralph George Houk (Major)
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11", Weight 193 lb.
[edit] Biographical Information
Ralph Houk enlisted on February 22, 1942 at Fort Leavenworth, KS. During World War II, he fought in the Battle of the Bulge and earned a Silver Star amd Purple Heart, seeing combat under the command of General George S. Patton. On one occasion, he took a bullet through the helmet but was not seriously wounded. Houk left the Army with the rank of major.
As a player, he was a back-up catcher for the New York Yankees for eight seasons, from 1947 to 1954. Houk was the third-string catcher in 1947, while the backup catcher that year was 22-year-old Yogi Berra, who had appeared in 7 games the previous season. Houk played in 41 games, coming to bat 92 times during his rookie season in 1947, and never got into more than 14 games in any season after that. Nevertheless, he was on the Yankees' World Series Roster four times during his career.
After a stint as a Yankees coach, Houk succeeded Casey Stengel at the helm of the club from 1961 to 1963, taking the team to the World Series all three years and winning them twice. He then became the team's General Manager from 1963 to 1966, when he stepped down to manage the club for a second time. He went on to manage the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox, retiring in 1984, but never made it to the post-season again.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- Won four World Series with the New York Yankees (1947, 1950, 1951 & 1952) (he did not play in the 1950 and 1951 World Series)
- ML Manager of the Year Award (1961)
- AL Pennants: 3 (1961-1963)
- Managed two World Series Champions with the New York Yankees (1961 & 1962)
- 100 Wins Seasons as Manager: 2 (1961 & 1963)
| Preceded by Casey Stengel | New York Yankees Manager 1961-1963 | Succeeded by Yogi Berra |
| Preceded by Roy Hamey | New York Yankees General Manager 1964-1966 | Succeeded by Dan Topping, Jr |
| Preceded by Johnny Keane | New York Yankees Manager 1966-1973 | Succeeded by Bill Virdon |
| Preceded by Joe Schultz | Detroit Tigers Manager 1974-1978 | Succeeded by Les Moss |
| Preceded by Don Zimmer | Boston Red Sox Manager 1981-1984 | Succeeded by John McNamara |
