Eugene Lawrence Roof is a retired 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...

 outfielder

Outfielder

Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...

. He played during three seasons at the major league level for the St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

 and Montreal Expos

Montreal Expos

The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...

. He was drafted by the Cardinals in the 12th round of the 1976 amateur draft

1976 Major League Baseball Draft

-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1976 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :The 1976 Arizona State University team, considered by many to be the best collegiate team ever, played a major role in the draft. Floyd Bannister was picked number one...

. Roof played his first professional season with their Rookie league Gulf Coast Cardinals

Gulf Coast Cardinals

The Gulf Coast League Cardinals are a minor league baseball team that plays in the Gulf Coast League. The Cardinals were originally a team from 1966-1976, but were reactivated in 2007. The Cardinals play their home games in Jupiter, Florida at Roger Dean Stadium, which is also the spring training...

 and Johnson City Cardinals

Johnson City Cardinals

The Johnson City Cardinals are a rookie league team based in Johnson City, Tennessee. The Cardinals are affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals organization and play with the Appalachian League, of which they are currently the two-time defending champions. The team plays its home games at Howard...

 in , and his last with the Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

' Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens

Toledo Mud Hens

The Toledo Mud Hens are a minor league baseball team located in Toledo, Ohio. The Mud Hens play in the International League, and are affiliated with the major league baseball team the Detroit Tigers, based approximately 50 miles to the north of Toledo. The current team is one of several...

 in . He is the brother of Phil Roof

Phil Roof

Phillip Anthony Roof is an American former professional baseball player, coach and minor league manager. He played for 15 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball in and from to , most notably for the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics and the Minnesota Twins...

 and cousin of Eddie Haas

Eddie Haas

George Edwin Haas is a former outfielder, coach, manager and scout in American Major League Baseball. Haas spent many years as a skipper in the farm system of the Atlanta Braves and replaced Joe Torre as Atlanta’s manager after the 1984 season...

. His brothers Adrian, Paul, and David Roof played in the minor leagues.

Since his retirement as a player in 1988, Roof has been a part of the Tigers organization as coach. He served as manager with Fayetteville Generals

Fayetteville Generals

The Fayetteville Generals were a minor league baseball team located in Fayetteville, North Carolina.They were part of the South Atlantic League between 1987 and 1996. They were affiliated with the Detroit Tigers throughout their entire existence. Prior to the 1997 season, the Generals were renamed...

 in 1989, London Tigers

London Tigers

The London Tigers were a professional AA baseball team that played in the Eastern League from 1989 to 1993. They played at Labatt Memorial Park in London, Ontario, and were affiliated with the Detroit Tigers.-History:...

 in 1991, Toledo Mud Hens

Toledo Mud Hens

The Toledo Mud Hens are a minor league baseball team located in Toledo, Ohio. The Mud Hens play in the International League, and are affiliated with the major league baseball team the Detroit Tigers, based approximately 50 miles to the north of Toledo. The current team is one of several...

 from 1997-1999, and the Jacksonville Suns

Jacksonville Suns

The Jacksonville Suns are a minor league baseball team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The team is currently a member of the Southern League and is the class Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins Major League Baseball team...

 in 2000. He had also served as first base coach under Tigers manager Sparky Anderson

Sparky Anderson

George Lee "Sparky" Anderson was an American Major League Baseball manager. He managed the National League's Cincinnati Reds to the 1975 and 1976 championships, then added a third title in 1984 with the Detroit Tigers of the American League. He was the first manager to win the World Series in both...

from 1992-1995.

Since 2001, Roof has served as the Tigers minor league-wide outfield and base-running coordinator.

All three of Roof's sons currently play professionally. Shawn and Eric are minor leaguers in the Tigers organization, while the youngest, Jonathan, was drafted by the Rangers in 2010.