Since leaving Arizona as the 1980 college baseball player of the year, a national championship outfielder, Terry Francona has seen it all.
He played in 365 minor-league games, 708 big- league games, he managed Michael Jordan in Double-A, and has now managed the Phillies, Red Sox and Indians for 16 years. World Series titles? Two. Money earned: About $34 million. Hall of Fame projection: Five years after he retires.
What’s most impressive about Francona, however, is his personality, character and the way he relates to people. When he was at Hi Corbett Field on Tuesday, donating $1 million for improvements to his alma mater’s baseball facility, it was never about him.
He turned down an $18,000 bonus out of a Pennsylvania high school to play at Arizona and he insists it was the best choice of his life.
“My mom and dad thought the college experience would be really beneficial for an 18-year-old that probably needed to learn to make better decisions at times,” he said. “When you come to college and make a mistake, you have a chance to atone for it.
“At Arizona, I learned how to act and behave, not just in the game, but outside the game. I needed to mature. It was the best experience I could ever imagine, and that’s important when you’re 18 years old and 3,000 miles from home.”
Francona was greeted during Tuesday’s ceremony by some of the big names in school baseball history: Jerry Kindall, Chip Hale, Jerry Stitt, Steve Strong and Jeff Morris.
It is a legacy that means far more than $1 million.
