| John Schuerholz | |
|---|---|
 Schuerholz in 2010 | |
| General manager /Executive | |
| Born: (1940-10-01)October 1, 1940 (age 85) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. | |
| Teams | |
| As general manager As president | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2017 |
| Vote | 100% |
| Election method | Today's Game Era Committee[1] |
John Boland Schuerholz Jr. (/ˈʃɜːrhɒlts/; born October 1, 1940) is an Americanbaseballfront office executive. He was the general manager ofMajor League Baseball's Atlanta Braves from 1990 to 2007, and then served as the Braves president for a decade from 2007 until 2016. Before joining Atlanta, he spent 22 years with theKansas City Royals organization, including nine (1982–1990) as the club'sgeneral manager. Among the teams he built are the1985 Royals and1995 Braves, both World Series champions. His teams have also won their division 16 times, including 14 consecutive times in Atlanta. During his time with the Braves, they won five National League pennants and played in nine National League Championship series. He was inducted into theBaseball Hall of Fame in 2017.
Schuerholz was born inBaltimore, the son of John Schuerholz Sr., who played in thePhiladelphia Athletics minor league system from 1937 to 1940.[2][3] He is a graduate of theBaltimore City College High School,Towson University andLoyola University.[4] While at Towson, Schuerholz applied for officer candidate school and was rejected, as he was partially deaf.[5] Before his career in baseball, Schuerholz was a teacher at North Point Junior High in Baltimore.[4] Upon leaving his teaching job, he was drafted by theUnited States Army to serve in theVietnam War. After entering Major League Baseball with the Baltimore Orioles, Schuerholz joined theUnited States Army Reserve.[5]
He donated $250,000 to Towson in 1999. This money was used to upgrade the school'sbaseball facility, which was named after Schuerholz.[6]
Schuerholz's son, Jonathan Schuerholz, was selected by Atlanta in the eighth round of the2002 MLB draft[7] and played in the minor leagues until 2007. Jonathan retired from baseball in August 2007 to go back toAuburn University to complete his business degree. The younger Schuerholz, who finished his six-year career in the minor leagues with a .223 batting average,[8] was named manager of theRome Braves (Atlanta's Class-A minor league affiliate) in 2014.[9][10] After the season, Jonathan was reassigned to the Braves front office to serve as an assistant player-development director.[11]
The Baltimore Orioles hired Schuerholz in 1966 as a result of a letter Schuerholz wrote to team ownerJerold Hoffberger. Schuerholz worked underFrank Cashen,Harry Dalton, andLou Gorman. In 1969, Major League Baseball expanded to Kansas City. Gorman and Schuerholz left for the Royals. Schuerholz was named general manager of the Royals during the 1981 offseason, and becameMajor League Baseball's youngest general manager at the time. Schuerholz built a strong relationship with Royals ownerEwing Kauffman, but left the team as it began to struggle. He joined the Braves in 1990, succeedingBobby Cox who returned to the dugout to manage the team.[4] The duo of Schuerholz and Cox produced an unprecedented run of success for the franchise, highlighted by the 1995 World Series Championship. On October 11, 2007, Schuerholz resigned as the Atlanta Braves general manager, but was promoted to club president, replacingTerry McGuirk. Schuerholz's top assistantFrank Wren was named the general manager.[12] When Schuerholz stepped down as club president in March 2016, his duties were split between Derek Schiller, as president of business, and Mike Plant, as president of development.[13][14]
Schuerholz has sent many assistants to general manager positions around the league, including Wren and Braves former GMJohn Coppolella.Dayton Moore, the Braves' former director of scouting and assistant GM under Schuerholz, was the GM of theKansas City Royals from 2006 to 2021 and won a World Series in 2015, he replacedAllard Baird.[15]
In 2006, Schuerholz published a book,Built To Win, which chronicled his tenure with the Braves and some of his most important moves as a GM.[16] Included in his book is a trade the Braves almost made with the Pirates in 1992. Had the deal gone through the Braves would have sent pitcherAlejandro Pena and outfielderKeith Mitchell to the Pirates in exchange forBarry Bonds.[17]
On December 4, 2016, Schuerholz was elected to theNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. He was formally inducted on July 30, 2017.[18]
In 2019, Schuerholz was named a Georgia Trustee by theGeorgia Historical Society, in conjunction with the Office of theGovernor of Georgia, to recognize accomplishments and community service that reflect the ideals of the founding body ofTrustees, which governed the Georgia colony from 1732 to 1752.
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Kansas City RoyalsGeneral Manager 1981–1990 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Atlanta BravesGeneral Manager 1990–2007 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Atlanta Braves President 2007–2016 | Succeeded by |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by | Sporting NewsMajor League BaseballExecutive of the Year 1985 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
