Major League Baseball Player, Coach, Manager. He played at the catcher position for parts of six seasons (1939 to 1941, 1947 to 1949) with the St. Louis Cardinals, Brooklyn Dodgers, Philadelphia Athletics and New York Giants. He was a member of the 1941 National League Pennant-winning Dodgers' team and recorded one plate appearance during the World Series. He made his big league debut with the Cardinals on April 27, 1939, and would appear in 188 career regular season games with 80 hits and a .199 lifetime batting average. His career was interrupted while he served in the United States Military during World War II. After retiring as a player, Franks served on Leo Durocher's coaching staff with the New York Giants from 1949 to 1955, when they captured two National League Pennants (1951, 1954) which includes the 1954 World Series title. His other coaching assignments include the San Francisco Giants (1958, 1964) and the Chicago Cubs in 1970. He replaced Alvin Dark as manager of the Giants (1965 to 1968) and guided them to four consecutive second place finishes in the National League. He managed Hall of Fame players Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Orlando Cepeda and Juan Marichal. In addition, Franks served as manager of the Cubs from 1977 to 1979. He died from congestive heart failure at the age of 95.
Major League Baseball Player, Coach, Manager. He played at the catcher position for parts of six seasons (1939 to 1941, 1947 to 1949) with the St. Louis Cardinals, Brooklyn Dodgers, Philadelphia Athletics and New York Giants. He was a member of the 1941 National League Pennant-winning Dodgers' team and recorded one plate appearance during the World Series. He made his big league debut with the Cardinals on April 27, 1939, and would appear in 188 career regular season games with 80 hits and a .199 lifetime batting average. His career was interrupted while he served in the United States Military during World War II. After retiring as a player, Franks served on Leo Durocher's coaching staff with the New York Giants from 1949 to 1955, when they captured two National League Pennants (1951, 1954) which includes the 1954 World Series title. His other coaching assignments include the San Francisco Giants (1958, 1964) and the Chicago Cubs in 1970. He replaced Alvin Dark as manager of the Giants (1965 to 1968) and guided them to four consecutive second place finishes in the National League. He managed Hall of Fame players Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Orlando Cepeda and Juan Marichal. In addition, Franks served as manager of the Cubs from 1977 to 1979. He died from congestive heart failure at the age of 95.
Bio by: C.S.
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