Jim Fanning facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jim Fanning
Catcher
Born: (1927-09-14)September 14, 1927 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died: April 25, 2015(2015-04-25) (aged 87) London, Ontario, Canada
Batted: Right Threw: Right
debut
September 11, 1954, for the Chicago Cubs
Last appearance
September 29, 1957, for the Chicago Cubs
MLB statistics
Batting average	.170
Home runs	0
Runs batted in	5
Teams
As player Chicago Cubs (1954–1957) As manager Montreal Expos (1981–1982; 1984)
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	2000

William James Fanning (September 14, 1927 – April 25, 2015) was an American-Canadian catcher, manager, and team leader in Major League Baseball. People often called him "Gentleman Jim." Jim Fanning was the very first general manager for the Montreal Expos baseball team. He worked for the Expos for almost 25 years in many different roles. In 1981, he led the Expos to the playoffs, which was the only time in the team's 36-year history they made it to the postseason.

Playing Baseball and Early Career

Jim Fanning was born in Chicago. He grew up in a small community called Moneta, Iowa. He played baseball for his school team, the Moneta Bulldogs. After high school, he went to Buena Vista College.

Fanning played baseball professionally as a catcher. Most of his playing career was in the minor leagues. He played parts of four seasons with the Chicago Cubs between 1954 and 1957. In his Major League career, he had a batting average of .170. He did not hit any home runs.

After playing, Fanning became a manager in the minor leagues. He later joined the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves organization. There, he became the Director of Minor League Operations. This meant he helped manage all the Braves' smaller teams. He also became an assistant general manager.

In 1968, Fanning briefly worked as a coach for the Braves. But soon after, he took on a new role. He became the first director of the Major League Baseball Scouting Bureau. This group helps find new baseball talent.

Building the Montreal Expos Team

Just a few months later, Jim Fanning joined his old boss, John McHale. McHale became the first president of the new Montreal Expos team. Fanning went with him to Canada to become the Expos' first general manager. A general manager is like the head of the team's operations. They are in charge of signing players and making trades.

Fanning and McHale had to build the Expos team from scratch. Back then, new teams mostly got players through special drafts and trades. They could not sign players who were free agents.

In the 1968 expansion draft, Fanning picked experienced players. These included Jesús Alou, John Bateman, and Maury Wills. He also drafted young players like Jack Billingham and Bill Stoneman.

Fanning made a big trade in 1969. He sent Alou and Donn Clendenon to the Houston Astros. In return, he got outfielder Rusty Staub. Staub was a popular player. He was nicknamed le Grand Orange (The Big Orange) by Expos fans.

The Expos slowly got better in their first few years. Pitcher Carl Morton won 18 games in 1970. He was named the NL Rookie of the Year. Another pitcher, Steve Renko, also won many games.

In 1972, Fanning made another important trade. He sent Rusty Staub to the New York Mets. In exchange, he got three young players: Tim Foli, Ken Singleton, and Mike Jorgensen. These players helped the Expos compete for their division title in 1973. They finished only 3.5 games behind first place.

Fanning was the general manager for eight years. During this time, the Expos also started to get talented players from their own minor league system. These players included Steve Rogers, Gary Carter, and Andre Dawson.

In 1976, the Expos did not play as well. Fanning was replaced as general manager by Charlie Fox. Fanning then worked in other roles for the Expos. He was the director of scouting, which meant he helped find new players.

Leading the Expos to the Playoffs

In 1981, the Expos' manager, Dick Williams, was fired. This happened with only 27 games left in the season. Jim Fanning was asked to take over as manager. This was a surprise because he had not managed a team in almost 20 years.

Fanning's calm style was different from Williams's tough approach. The Expos won 16 of their last 27 games. This helped them win the second half of their division. Because of a strike that year, the season was split into two halves. Winning the second half meant they made the playoffs.

The Expos first played against the Philadelphia Phillies. They won that series. Then, they moved on to play the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS.

The final game of that series was on October 19, 1981. It became known as "Blue Monday" in Montreal. Dodgers outfielder Rick Monday hit a home run in the ninth inning. This home run broke a tie. The Dodgers won 2-1. They went on to win the World Series.

Sadly, 1981 was the only time the Expos made it to the baseball playoffs. In 2005, the team moved to Washington, D.C. They became the Washington Nationals.

Fanning continued as manager in 1982. But the Expos finished third in their division. Fanning then moved back to a front office job. He handed the manager's job to Bill Virdon.

In 1984, the Expos were not doing well again. Virdon was fired. Fanning once more returned to manage the team for the last 30 games. The team finished fifth that year.

Later Career and Legacy

Jim Fanning stopped managing after the 1984 season. His record as a Major League manager was 116 wins and 103 losses. He went back to working in the Expos' front office.

After leaving the Expos, he worked as a broadcaster for a short time. He also worked as a scout for the Colorado Rockies. Later, he became an assistant general manager for the Toronto Blue Jays. He also became an ambassador for amateur baseball in Canada.

In 2000, Jim Fanning was chosen for the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. He became a Canadian citizen in 2012.

Jim Fanning passed away on April 25, 2015, at age 87. He died from a heart attack at his home in London, Ontario.

Managerial statistics