Former A's Skipper Hall-Bound

Former Oakland A's manager Dick Williams was elected to the baseball Hall of Fame on Monday by the National Baseball Hall of Fame Veteran's Committee. Williams won two World Series titles with Oakland in 1972 and 1973.

Long-time major league manager Dick Williams was rewarded for a standout career on Monday, as he was elected to the baseball Hall of Fame by the 2008 National Baseball Hall of Fame Veteran’s Committee. He will be inducted on July 27, 2008 as part of Cooperstown’s annual Hall of Fame weekend.

Williams was the manager of the Oakland A's from 1971-1973 and he managed the team to the playoffs in all three seasons. Williams was the skipper for the A's first two of three World Series titles from 1972-1974. He is the only Oakland A's manager to win back-to-back World Series rings.

When Williams took over as the skipper for Charlie Finley's A's in 1971, the team hadn't reached the playoffs since 1931, a streak that ended with Williams' arrival. Williams finished his A's tenure with 288 wins during the regular season. He also played two seasons with the Kansas City A's in 1958 and 1959.

“We congratulate Dick on his well-deserved honor,” Oakland A’s President Michael Crowley said in an official statement released by the team.

“Our franchise has a proud history and a championship culture, due in large part to Dick’s work in Oakland.”

In total, Williams managed for 21 seasons with six different teams, recording 1,571 wins against 1,451 losses, a .520 winning percentage. His two World Series titles came with the A's. He also took the San Diego Padres (1984) and the Boston Red Sox (1967) to the World Series.

The Athletics have had a long and storied history in Philadelphia, Kansas City and Oakland. OaklandClubhouse.com has an on-going series chronicling some of the stories from that colorful past. To view these stories, please click here.