Al Campanis
Encyclopedia
Alexander Sebastian Campanis (born Alessandro Campani, November 2, 1916 - June 21, 1998) was an American
executive in Major League Baseball
. He had a brief Major League career as a second baseman
, playing for both the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Montreal Royals
, the Dodgers' minor-league team. Campanis is most famous for his position as general manager
of the Los Angeles Dodgers
from 1968 to 1987, from which he was fired as a result of a high-profile incident in which he made remarks seen as racist during a live interview on April 6, 1987.
-speaking parents in Kos
, a small island within the Dodecanese
Islands, on November 2, 1916. Kos has been part of Greece
since 1947, although, at the time of Campanis' birth, it belonged to Italy
.
He moved with his family to New York City
at age 6. He attended New York University
, graduating in 1940.
teams, including the Macon Peaches
. He eventually played for the Brooklyn Dodgers as a second baseman
for seven games in 1943. He then served in the U.S. Navy in World War II
, reaching the rank of Chief Petty Officer
. After returning from the war, he played for the Montreal Royals
, the Dodgers' minor-league team, with Jackie Robinson
as one of his teammates.
Campanis soon afterward became a scout
for the Dodgers, then eventually their scouting director. While a scout, he notably discovered future pitching great and Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax
.
Campanis moved with the team to Los Angeles
when they became the Los Angeles Dodgers
in 1958. He then became the Dodgers' general manager
in 1968. In one of Campanis' first trades as general manager of the Dodgers, Campanis traded his own son Jim
, to the Kansas City Royals
for two minor leaguers.
Under Campanis the Dodgers reached the World Series
four times, in 1974, 1977, 1978 and 1981. They lost the first three of these, but finally won in 1981.
program Nightline, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of Jackie Robinson
's Major League Baseball debut (April 15, 1947). Campanis, who had played alongside Robinson and was known for being close to him, was being interviewed about the subject. Nightline anchorman Ted Koppel
asked him why, at the time, there had been few black
managers and no black general managers in Major League Baseball
. Campanis' reply was that blacks "may not have some of the necessities to be, let's say, a field manager, or, perhaps, a general manager" for these positions. Elsewhere in the interview he said that blacks are often poor swimmers "because they don't have the buoyancy." Koppel says he gave Campanis several opportunities to clarify ("Do you really believe that?") or back down on his remarks but Campanis confirmed his views with his replies. A protest erupted the next morning and he resigned two days later.
The controversy was especially heated when it was pointed out that Campanis had participated in the decision over who would replace Walter Alston
as the manager of the Dodgers. It had been a choice between the two coaches at the time, Tommy Lasorda
and Jim Gilliam
, and it raised the question of whether Gilliam had been passed over because he was black.
In an interview the next year, Campanis attempted to clarify that he was referring to the lack of African-Americans with experience in these areas, rather than their innate abilities. He also said that he was "wiped out" when the interview took place and therefore not entirely himself. Many other figures in baseball, such as fellow Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda and former Dodgers player Don Newcombe
, have also spoken in Campanis' defense.
In 1988, Campanis also said that "Time has diffused the immediate hurt of April 6," and that "It has turned out to be a plus for baseball and myself."
and George Campanis.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
executive in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. He had a brief Major League career as a second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
, playing for both the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Montreal Royals
Montreal Royals
The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec, that existed from 1897–1917 and from 1928–60 as a member of the International League and its progenitor, the original Eastern League...
, the Dodgers' minor-league team. Campanis is most famous for his position as general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
of the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
from 1968 to 1987, from which he was fired as a result of a high-profile incident in which he made remarks seen as racist during a live interview on April 6, 1987.
Early life
Al Campanis was born to GreekGreek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
-speaking parents in Kos
Kos
Kos or Cos is a Greek island in the south Sporades group of the Dodecanese, next to the Gulf of Gökova/Cos. It measures by , and is from the coast of Bodrum, Turkey and the ancient region of Caria. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Kos peripheral unit, which is...
, a small island within the Dodecanese
Dodecanese
The Dodecanese are a group of 12 larger plus 150 smaller Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, of which 26 are inhabited. Τhis island group generally defines the eastern limit of the Sea of Crete. They belong to the Southern Sporades island group...
Islands, on November 2, 1916. Kos has been part of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
since 1947, although, at the time of Campanis' birth, it belonged to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
He moved with his family to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
at age 6. He attended New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, graduating in 1940.
Baseball
After graduating, Campanis became a professional baseball player, signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was then sent to play with several minor-leagueMinor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
teams, including the Macon Peaches
Macon Peaches
The Macon Peaches was the predominant name of the American minor league baseball franchise representing Macon, Georgia, during the 20th century....
. He eventually played for the Brooklyn Dodgers as a second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
for seven games in 1943. He then served in the U.S. Navy in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, reaching the rank of Chief Petty Officer
Chief Petty Officer
A chief petty officer is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards.-Canada:"Chief Petty Officer" refers to two ranks in the Canadian Navy...
. After returning from the war, he played for the Montreal Royals
Montreal Royals
The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec, that existed from 1897–1917 and from 1928–60 as a member of the International League and its progenitor, the original Eastern League...
, the Dodgers' minor-league team, with Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
as one of his teammates.
Campanis soon afterward became a scout
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
for the Dodgers, then eventually their scouting director. While a scout, he notably discovered future pitching great and Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax
Sandy Koufax
Sanford "Sandy" Koufax is a former left-handed baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers...
.
Campanis moved with the team to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
when they became the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
in 1958. He then became the Dodgers' general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
in 1968. In one of Campanis' first trades as general manager of the Dodgers, Campanis traded his own son Jim
Jim Campanis
James Alexander Campanis , is a former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues primarily as a catcher from 1966–1970 and 1973...
, to the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
for two minor leaguers.
Under Campanis the Dodgers reached the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
four times, in 1974, 1977, 1978 and 1981. They lost the first three of these, but finally won in 1981.
Controversy
Campanis' remarks took place on the late-night ABC NewsABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
program Nightline, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
's Major League Baseball debut (April 15, 1947). Campanis, who had played alongside Robinson and was known for being close to him, was being interviewed about the subject. Nightline anchorman Ted Koppel
Ted Koppel
Edward James "Ted" Koppel is an English-born American broadcast journalist, best known as the anchor for Nightline from the program's inception in 1980 until his retirement in late 2005. After leaving Nightline, Koppel worked as managing editor for the Discovery Channel before resigning in 2008...
asked him why, at the time, there had been few black
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
managers and no black general managers in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. Campanis' reply was that blacks "may not have some of the necessities to be, let's say, a field manager, or, perhaps, a general manager" for these positions. Elsewhere in the interview he said that blacks are often poor swimmers "because they don't have the buoyancy." Koppel says he gave Campanis several opportunities to clarify ("Do you really believe that?") or back down on his remarks but Campanis confirmed his views with his replies. A protest erupted the next morning and he resigned two days later.
The controversy was especially heated when it was pointed out that Campanis had participated in the decision over who would replace Walter Alston
Walter Alston
Walter Emmons Alston , nicknamed "Smokey," was an American baseball player and manager. He was born in Venice, Ohio but grew up in Darrtown. He is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he lettered three years in both basketball and baseball and is a member of the University's Hall...
as the manager of the Dodgers. It had been a choice between the two coaches at the time, Tommy Lasorda
Tommy Lasorda
Thomas Charles Lasorda is a former Major League baseball player and manager. marked his sixth decade in one capacity or another with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers organization, the longest non-continuous tenure anyone has had with the team, edging Dodger broadcaster Vin Scully...
and Jim Gilliam
Jim Gilliam
James William Gilliam was an American second and third baseman and coach in Negro League and Major League Baseball who spent his entire major league career with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers. He was named the National League Rookie of the Year, and was a key member of ten NL championship...
, and it raised the question of whether Gilliam had been passed over because he was black.
In an interview the next year, Campanis attempted to clarify that he was referring to the lack of African-Americans with experience in these areas, rather than their innate abilities. He also said that he was "wiped out" when the interview took place and therefore not entirely himself. Many other figures in baseball, such as fellow Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda and former Dodgers player Don Newcombe
Don Newcombe
Donald Newcombe , nicknamed "Newk", is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher who played for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers , Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians .Until 2011 when Detroit Tigers Pitcher Justin Verlander did it, Newcombe was the only baseball...
, have also spoken in Campanis' defense.
In 1988, Campanis also said that "Time has diffused the immediate hurt of April 6," and that "It has turned out to be a plus for baseball and myself."
Personal life and family
Campanis had two sons, baseball player Jim CampanisJim Campanis
James Alexander Campanis , is a former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues primarily as a catcher from 1966–1970 and 1973...
and George Campanis.
See also
External links
- In-depth article on the interview by Bob Baker
- Al Campanis at Find a GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...