I’m stretching “boyhood” a little here, but Bobby Cox had a long career. And my son was an Atlanta Braves fan growing up so now his boyhood sports icons are dying.
Cox managed the Atlanta Braves from 1978 to 1981, and then the Toronto Blue Jays from 1982 to 1985. He rejoined the Braves in 1986 as a general manager.
He moved back to the manager’s role during the 1990 season and stayed there until his retirement following the 2010 season. Cox led the Braves to 14 consecutive division championships from 1991 to 2005 (interrupted in 1994 when a strike ended the season early), which included a World Series title in 1995.
That 14 straight division title record is the most amazing thing to me. No other manager has won more than 6 division titles in their entire career.
Cox had 2,504 wins, fourth all-time among managers.
RIP Bobby Cox