Danny Ozark, the only man to lead the Phillies to 100 win seasons during the regular season, died today at the age of 85. Ozark achieved this mark in back to back seasons, as the Phils went 101-61 in 1976 and 1977. Considering how bad the Phillies were just four years before that, it's quite impressive.
While Ozark managed before my time, and despite the fact that he could never get past the NLCS, whether it was against the Reds or Dodgers, he was still obviously a good developer of talent. He was fired in 1979, and one year later the Phillies won their first World Series. Like I said, he was before my time, but I'd bet money on the fact that Ozark had something to do with getting players like Mike Schmidt, Larry Bowa, Garry Maddox, Bob Boone, Greg Luzinski and Bake McBride ready for the World Series stage. Three straight NLCS appearances has never been repeated in Philadelphia history, so Ozark certainly knew what he was doing. Though he could never catch on with another team for longer than a season as manager, he was clearly one of the best the Phillies ever had. His career record in Philadelphia was 594-510, giving him the third most wins in Phillies' history.
Ozark is survived by his wife, two children and three grandchildren. Say hi to Harry for us Danny.
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