Rico Brogna
Encyclopedia
Rico Joseph Brogna is a former Major League Baseball
first baseman
who played for the Detroit Tigers
, New York Mets
, Philadelphia Phillies
, Boston Red Sox
, and Atlanta Braves
in his career starting in 1992, and from 1994 to 2001. He was drafted 26th overall by the Detroit Tigers
in 1988.
Brogna was recruited as a quarterback
by Clemson University
, but chose to pursue a career in baseball instead. In 1999, he hit a career high 24 home runs for the Phillies. He also hit the first home run out of thin-aired Coors Field
, famous for long and frequent home runs.
Brogna was diagnosed with Ankylosing spondylitis
, a form of spinal arthritis
, in 1991, and had to take medication for the condition on a daily basis. Concerns surrounding his condition contributed to the decision of the Mets to trade him to the Phillies during the 1996 offseason, but he recovered sufficiently to be an offensive contributor for several seasons thereafter.
Brogna retired in 2001.
He coached for the Nonnewaug Chiefs, a high school football team in Woodbury, Connecticut. Soon after the conclusion of the 2008 football season, Brogna resigned as coach of the Chiefs and took a volunteer job as wide receivers coach for the Wesleyan University
football team. In 2010 he managed the Mobile BayBears
, the Arizona Diamondbacks
Double-A minor league affiliate. In 2011 he was named the head football coach at Notre Dame-Fairfield high school in Connecticut, and stated he had retired from baseball (as a coach/executive) to concentrate his football duties year round.
He has two children.
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...
first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
who played for 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...
, New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
, Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
, Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, and Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
in his career starting in 1992, and from 1994 to 2001. He was drafted 26th overall by 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...
in 1988.
Brogna was recruited as a quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
by Clemson University
Clemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
, but chose to pursue a career in baseball instead. In 1999, he hit a career high 24 home runs for the Phillies. He also hit the first home run out of thin-aired Coors Field
Coors Field
Coors Field, located in Denver, Colorado, is the home field of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies. It is named for the Coors Brewing Company of Golden, Colorado, which purchased the naming rights to the park prior to its completion in 1995...
, famous for long and frequent home runs.
Brogna was diagnosed with Ankylosing spondylitis
Ankylosing spondylitis
Ankylosing spondylitis , previously known as Bekhterev's disease, Bekhterev syndrome, and Marie-Strümpell disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the axial skeleton with variable involvement of peripheral joints and nonarticular structures...
, a form of spinal arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
, in 1991, and had to take medication for the condition on a daily basis. Concerns surrounding his condition contributed to the decision of the Mets to trade him to the Phillies during the 1996 offseason, but he recovered sufficiently to be an offensive contributor for several seasons thereafter.
Brogna retired in 2001.
He coached for the Nonnewaug Chiefs, a high school football team in Woodbury, Connecticut. Soon after the conclusion of the 2008 football season, Brogna resigned as coach of the Chiefs and took a volunteer job as wide receivers coach for the Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
football team. In 2010 he managed the Mobile BayBears
Mobile BayBears
The Mobile BayBears are a minor league baseball team based in Mobile, Alabama, United States. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks major league club. The BayBears play in Hank Aaron Stadium, named after baseball's former all-time home...
, the Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
Double-A minor league affiliate. In 2011 he was named the head football coach at Notre Dame-Fairfield high school in Connecticut, and stated he had retired from baseball (as a coach/executive) to concentrate his football duties year round.
He has two children.