Bobby Cox Dies at 84, Hall of Fame MLB Manager Won 1995 World Series with Braves

Legendary Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox has died at the age of 84.

The Braves issued a statement on Saturday, saying they were "overcome with emotion on the passing of Bobby Cox, our treasured skipper."

Freddie Freeman, who was coached by Cox during his early career with the Braves, told reporters:

"I mean, not many people get to be managed at all by a Hall of Fame manager and I got to have my first one in the big leagues be a Hall of Fame manager, and a manager who relentlessly had our backs.

"We're gonna miss him immensely."

Cox had a very brief playing career in MLB, appearing in 220 games with the New York Yankees over two years from 1968 to 1969 after playing in the minors for eight years.

His ties to the Braves organization started when he was a player. Atlanta acquired him during the 1966 season and he appeared in 191 games between Double-A and Triple-A before being traded to the Yankees in 1967.

After his playing career ended, Cox moved into coaching in the minors with the Yankees. He joined manager Billy Martin's staff as first-base coach in 1977 when the Yankees won a World Series title.

The Braves hired Cox as their manager prior to the 1978 season. He spent four years with the club during his first stint before being fired after going 50-56 in the strike-shortened 1981 campaign.

Cox then became manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, going 355-292 in four seasons from 1982 to 1985. Their 99 wins in his final season remain the single-season franchise record.

The Braves hired Cox to be their general manager after the 1985 season. He remained in the job for four full seasons, running the front office at a time when the team drafted players like Tom Glavine, Steve Avery and Chipper Jones. They also acquired John Smoltz in a trade with the Detroit Tigers midway through 1987.

Cox eventually named himself Atlanta's manager again midway through the 1990 season after firing Russ Nixon. John Schuerholz took over as general manager following the 1990 campaign.

During his second tenure as Braves manager from 1990 to 2010, Cox led them to 16 playoff appearances (15 straight from 1991 to 2005) and one World Series title in four trips to the Fall Classic.

"Bobby Cox led one of the greatest eras of sustained excellence in baseball history," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "As manager of the Braves, his clubs became an October fixture, representing consistency, professionalism, and championship-caliber baseball for an entire generation of fans. Through his leadership, eye for talent, and commitment to player development, Bobby helped shape the careers of numerous Hall of Famers and guided the Braves to Atlanta's first major professional sports championship in 1995."

Cox's four career Manager of the Year wins are tied with Tony La Russa and Buck Showalter for the most in MLB history. His 2,504 career managerial wins are the fourth-most all-time. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014.