American baseball manager and former player Terrence Jon Francona, also known as “Tito,” is the manager of the Cleveland Guardians in MLB. Terry took the Cleveland Guardians to the finals of the 2016 Fall Classic.
Terry is known as one of the greatest masterminds in baseball history. Moreover, he has won World Series Champions and the Golden Spike Award.
Terry has accomplished much as a player, too, including getting named the tournament’s most outstanding player in 1980.
He won an American League Manager of the Year for the third time in 2022.
We will focus more on Terry Francona’s career and discuss his personal life, net worth, marriage, children, and much more.
Let us start with some quick facts.
Terry Francona | Quick Facts
| Full Name | Terrence Jon Francona |
| Birth Date | April 22, 1959 |
| Birth Place | Aberdeen, South Dakota, United States Of America |
| Nick Name | Tito |
| Religion | Unknown |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Education |
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| Horoscope | Taurus |
| Father’s Name | John Patsy Francona (Tito Francona) |
| Mother’s Name | Roberta Jackson |
| Siblings | Amy Francona |
| Age | 64 Years Old |
| Height | 6 feet 1 inch/184 cm/1.84 m |
| Weight | 86 kg/189 lbs |
| Shoe Size | Unknown |
| Hair Color | Bald |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Body Measurement | Unknown |
| Build | Athletic |
| Married | Divorced |
| Wife | Jacque Lang (m. 1982 ) |
| Children |
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| Profession | American Baseball Manager |
| Net Worth | $5 Million |
| Salary | Estimated $4.2 Million |
| Currently Works As | Manager For The Cleveland Indians |
| Affiliations | Phillies, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds |
| Active Since |
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| Merch | Book |
| Last Update | March 2024 |
Terry Francona | Early Life
Terrence Jon Francona, known as Terry Francona, was born in Aberdeen, South Dakota, in the United States.
He is the son of John Patsy Francona (Tito Francona) and Roberta Jackson. Aside from his parents, Terry grew up with his sister Amy Francona.
His father, Tito, was a famous MLB player who played for several Major League clubs from 1956 to 1970.
Since his adolescent years, Terry got engaged in baseball as his talented father mentored and guided him.
Terry adored his father a lot, who died on February 13, 2018, in New Brighton, Pennsylvania.
Likewise, to start his baseball career, he attended New Brighton Area High School in New Brighton, Pennsylvania.
After graduation, Terry enrolled at the University of Arizona to receive his bachelor’s degree. He played college baseball for the Arizona Wildcats baseball team.
Terry Francona | Age, height, & Nationality
Terry Francona was born in 1959, making him 64 years old as of 2024. He was born on April 22, which makes his birth sign Taurus.
And from what we know, people who fall under this sun sign are typically hardworking, free-spirited, and outgoing.
Likewise, Terry stands at 1.84 m and weighs around 189 lbs.
Terry Francona | Career
As A Player
Terry represented the United States during his college years at Pan American Games.
Also, in 1980 he won the college world series and was named the tournament’s most outstanding player. Following that same year, Francona also won the Golden Spikes award.
In 1981, he made his major league debut with Montreal and played as an outfielder.
He then went to the National League Division Series and played against the Philadelphia Phillies, an extra playoff round utilized that year because the season was conducted in two halves as a result of the strike.
Moreover, Francona got shifted to first base, played one hundred games more than in the outfield, and developed a reputation as a contact hitter.
He also appeared with Milwaukee in 1989 as a pitcher; he threw 12 pitches and struck out one batter on three pitches.
As A Coach
After retiring as a player, Terry started coaching and spent several years as a coach in the Chicago White Sox organization.
Then, he began managing the rookie league Sarasota White Sox of the Gulf Coast League in 1991.
Besides that, he also worked with the Dominican Winter League.
As a manager, Terry won two distinctions 1993 Baseball America Minor League Manager of the Year and 1994 Baseball America top managerial candidate.
He worked with Buddy Bell in 1996 and became a third-base coach for the Detroit Tigers.
As A Manager
Philadelphia Phillies
After the 1996 season, Terry was hired as the Phillies’ manager. The club never rose above third place during his first four seasons as the skipper.
However, in 1999 they finished in third place, behind the division-rival New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves.
In 2001 he spent the season as a special assistant for the Cleveland Indians and as a bench coach for the Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics.
Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox hired Terry as a manager in 2004, who led them to the American League’s second-best record behind the New York Yankees. Likewise, they also won more games than any other team in the American League.
Unfortunately, in the 2005 season, Terry got hospitalized due to severe chest pains, painful knees, and blood clot issues.
After two years, he returned to action, and under his leadership, Red Sox won the AL East Division, finishing two games ahead of the Yankees.
Francona was the only manager to win his first eight consecutive World Series games in Major League history and the second manager to guide the Red Sox team to World Series titles.
In 2009, Terry recorded himself as the third manager in team history with 500 wins. Also, he became the fourth person to manage 1,000 games for the Red Sox. Similarly, in 2011, he got his 1,000th win as a manager and finished his Red Sox career.
Cleveland Indians
Terry got hired as the manager of the Cleveland Indians in 2012. Under his leadership, the Indians finished the 2013 regular season, and Terry was named the American League Manager of the Year.
He also managed Cleveland to the American League Central Division title-clinching a berth in the ALCS with a win at Fenway Park.
Besides, Terry’s Cleveland moved on to the World Series by beating the Toronto Blue Jays and winning the game against Chicago Cubs.
Not to mention, Terry again got named American League Manager of the Year for the second time in 2016.
With Cleveland, Francona entered the 2022 season as the longest-time manager in MLB.
Since 2020, Francona has led the Guardians to their first playoff appearance in 2022 and first AL Central title since 2018.
Francona won the 2022 American League Manager of the Year for the third time, beating Brandon Hyde and Scott Servais.
As A Broadcaster
After his departure as a manager from the Red Sox in 2011, Terry joined the Fox network as the color analyst for the first two games in the American League Championship series.
Likewise, he signed with ESPN, joined their Sunday Night Baseball telecast as an analyst, and contributed to ESPN’s Little League World Series coverage.
Health
Francona has been hospitalized many times due to his poor health conditions. He suffered from a life-threatening pulmonary embolism in 2002, which led to circulation issues.
Likewise, in 2017, he missed several games due to feeling lightheaded and was admitted to the Cleveland Clinic and was expected to rest until July 14, 2017.
Also, Terry had to undergo catheter ablation due to his irregular heartbeat, so he had to skip the 2017 MBA All-Star Game.
Terry Francona | Net Worth & Salary
Terry has spent nearly a decade as a baseball player, manager, coach, and broadcaster. He is one of the highest-paid managers in MLB. During this period, he made a significant fortune in every field.
According to reports, Francona has accumulated nearly $5 million net worth.
Aside from his net worth, Francona made almost $4.2 million a year as a Cleveland Indians manager. Without a doubt, most of his earnings are from his career as a baseball manager.
He also earned nearly $1.12 million as a baseball player between 1985 and 1990. Besides that, from 1985 to 1986, he made $250,000 a season.
Notably, he had signed a $12 million contract with Red Sox in 2004. Francona worked at FOX and ESPN networks, earning a considerable amount as a broadcaster.
Terry Francona | Personal Life
A successful baseball player, coach, and manager, Terry has not had so much luck to keep his marriage.
Terry was married to his wife Jacque Lang in January 1982 and had four children, three daughters: Alyssa Francona, Jamie Francona, and Leah Francona, and a son named Nicholas Francona.
Unfortunately, their marriage fell apart 30 years after. In an interview, Terry confirmed his separation, saying they were in the final divorce stage.
By early 2011, Terry and Jacque got divorced and started living separately.
Although, the exact reason for their separation is still unknown.
Injury
Terry Francona struggled with a staph infection on his left toe. He had to undergo surgery at Cleveland Clinic in 2021.
He made a 10-day hospital stay, during which they had to remove a part of the bone in his toe. After surgery, he was on crutches and opened up later from Goodyear, Arizona.
“I’m in a boot. I wasn’t all that mobile to begin with, so it’s not necessarily really killing my mobility,” Francona joked on a Zoom call from Goodyear, Arizona. “It’s more a pain in the neck.”
Aside from his foot injury, Terry struggled with the PICC line (Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter) in his arm. He had gastrointestinal and blood clot issues before it and had to undergo nine to ten surgeries.
Terry replaced his right hip after the Cleveland Indians Game against Chicago Cubs in the 2016 World Series.
Back in 2017, he went through cardiac ablation surgery to correct an irregular heartbeat.
Tito’s Gratitude Towards The Guardians
The future Hall-of-Fame manager, in a 2022 interview with the Sports Insider Chris Rose, expressed his gratitude to the Cleveland Guardians for all the support he got over the years.
“If I wasn’t working in Cleveland, I probably would have gone home.”
Terry Francona says his support system in the Guardians organization allowed him to keep going after his stretch of health issues pic.twitter.com/DWsaixs6uw
— Chris Rose Sports (@ChrisRoseSports) December 13, 2022
Francona even said that if it weren’t for Cleveland, he would have walked away due to his ongoing and past health issues.
Trivia
- Terry Francona led Cleveland to a 22-game win streak, the second-longest in MLB history, during the 2017 season.
- Francona won his first nine ALCS elimination games and seven playoff elimination games.
- In 1996, Terry Francona became a third-base coach for the Detroit Tigers.
Quotes
- “I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Trying to be a little bit better than somebody else at what you love is a great feeling.”
- “The comfort I have is our ability to play. I know that we will show up and play the next game, and that’s what gives us the most comfort.”
The Popularity Graph
Terry is popular due to his sports presence, as shown in his illustrated search graph.
The presence of mobility is a bit higher than average, which can be due to his victory of AL Manager of the Year for the third time in 2022.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)
Why do they call Terry Francona Tito?
Terry’s father, John Patsy Francona, was an MLB player nicknamed Tito. So because of the same professional background, Terry got the same nickname as his father.
Where did Terry Francona go to college?
Terry Francona went to the University of Arizona for college, and for schooling, he went to New Brighton Area High School.
Is Terry Francona Italian?
As per the reports, Terry Francona was born in South Dakota, USA, and is American by nationality.
Did Terry Francona play baseball?
Terry played college baseball for the Arizona Wildcats baseball team and represented the United States at Pan American Games in 1979.
What is Terry Francona’s career statistic like?
Terry Francona debuted in the MLB on August 19, 1981, for the Montreal Expos. Nearly a decade later, he retired from the field on April 19, 1990.
During his career, Terry maintained his MLB statistics of 143 runs batted in, a batting average of .274, 16 home runs, and a .543 winning percentage. Well, he maintains a managerial record of 1,722–1,448.
Which jersey number did Terry Francona wear?
Reports say that Terry Francona wore jersey number 77 for the Cleveland Indians in his playing years.
