Casey Stengel

He was a friendly and funny person who made everyone around him laugh. He was a master publicist who did everything in his control to promote his teams.

He was diagnosed with cancer of the lymph glands in September 1975 and died within days of the diagnosis.

Casey's father was an insurance agent and Casey was one of the three children. His family descended from German and Irish immigrants. He had a happy and comfortable childhood.

Athletically inclined, the youngster played various sports like baseball, football and basketball during his time at Central High School. He aspired to become a dentist and was not really interested in making a career as a professional sportsperson.

He used to play minor league baseball in order to save for his training as a dentist. He struggled during his dentistry training and decided to focus his energies on playing baseball. He became a successful minor league player.

He started playing professional baseball when he was 19. He joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1912 and proved to be a great addition to the team when he finished the season with a .316 batting average.

His amazing performances continued over the next three seasons as he continued to bat for Brooklyn. He also exhibited excellent leadership skills and was a naturally gifted player. He helped his team win the National League in 1916.

He was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for whom he played 39 games during 1918-19. He then went to the U.S. Navy where he coached the baseball program at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. He returned to the Pirates but was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies who in turn traded him to the New York Giants.

He played for the Giants from 1921 to 1923 during which he scored a batting average of .368 and .339 during the 1922 and 1923 seasons, respectively. He helped the Giants win the World Series in 1922.

His first stint as a manager came in 1925 when he became a player-manager of the Worcester Panthers. He was also the team president. He shifted to manage the Toledo Mud Hens in 1926 and helped the team to its first ever pennant. However, the team went bankrupt in 1931 and he was out of a job.

He is best known for his stint as the manager of the New York Yankees whom he guided to five straight world championships, helping them win 10 pennants in 12 seasons. He also had a considerably successful playing career having played in three World Series.