Charles Walter “Chuck” Dressen (September 20, 1894 - August 10, 1966) had a relatively uneventful eight-year career playing third base for the Cincinnati Reds (1925-1931) and the New York Giants (1933), but is better known for his 16-year career as a Major League manager for five different clubs. Dressen played quarterback with the Decatur Staleys, which became the Chicago Bears, before playing baseball exclusively beginning in 1925. In eight seasons at third base, Chuck batted .272 with 603 hits and 221 RBI in 646 games before hanging them up for a managerial position. As a member of the 1933 World Series champion Giants team, Dressen was not utilized during the series, but made a key call when he advised player/manager Bill Terry how to pitch to a former Southern League adversary, Cliff Bolton. It became apparent Dressen had a knack for managing as Bolton hit into a double play and the Giants went on to win the game and the series. In 1934, Dressen was summoned to become the manager for the Cincinnati Reds for four seasons (1934-1937). Dressen managed for Cincinnati, the Brooklyn Dodgers (1951-1953), the Washington Senators (1955-1957), the Milwaukee Braves (1960-1961) and the Detroit Tigers (1963-1964, 1965-1966). Chuck’s greatest success came while leading the Dodgers as he took them to back-to-back National League pennants in 1952 and 1953 before falling to their cross-town nemesis New York Yankees in each World Series. Dressen never managed to reach the Promised Land over his 16 years as a Major Leagues manager, but compiled a respectable 1,008-973 record in 1,990 games and won two pennants. He helped return the Detroit Tigers to greatness, rebuilding the team that would eventually win the 1968 World Series, following Dressen’s death in 1966. The wily tactician lived by the mantra, “Just hold them, boys, until I think of something.”
