CONFERENCE SPEAKERS
Tony La Russa
Chief Baseball Officer, Arizona Diamondbacks (Hall of Fame Class of 2014)
Tony La Russa is in his first full season as the D-backs Chief Baseball Officer and 54th in professional baseball. He joined the franchise on May 17, 2014 and in his current role, is responsible for all facets of the organization's baseball operations. The 2014 inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame was the first person in Major League history to hold the position of Chief Baseball Officer.
La Russa, the winningest Major League manager since 1950 and the third-winningest of all-time, captured 3 World Series titles (1989, 2006, 2011), six League Championships (1988-90, 2004, '06 and '11), 12 division titles (1983, '88-90, 1992, '96, 2000, '02, '04-06 and '09) and was a four-time Manager of the Year (1983, '88, '92, 2002). He and Sparky Anderson are the only two managers to win World Series titles in both leagues. His 2,728 regular-season wins as a manager trail only Connie Mack (3,731) and John McGraw (2,763) all-time, his 70 postseason wins are second-most behind Joe Torre (84) and his 14 postseason appearances are third-most behind Bobby Cox (16) and Torre (15).
Upon taking the reins of the D-backs' Baseball Operations, La Russa spent the 2014 season evaluating the entire system before naming Dave Stewart as Sr. VP & General Manager and De Jon Watson as Sr. VP, Baseball Operations. La Russa also led the process of hiring Chip Hale as the team's manager and together the group spent the offseason retooling the franchise. Cuban free agent outfielder/third baseman Yasmany Tomas was signed to a six-year contract while several trades were made to overhaul the big league starting rotation, in addition to adding Minor League depth.
La Russa joined the D-backs following two seasons at Major League Baseball's league offices, serving as a Special Assistant to Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. He has also served on the Commissioner's 14-member Special Committee for On-Field Matters since December 2009.
He retired at the height of his success, following the 2011 World Series championship as skipper of the St. Louis Cardinals. La Russa finished his big league managing career with a .536 regular-season winning percentage (2,728-2,365) and a .547 postseason winning percentage (70-58). He led his teams to 100-plus wins on four occasions (1988, '90, 2004-05), a .600-plus winning percentage six times and a .500 winning percentage or better in 24 seasons.
He managed for 33 seasons in the big leagues with the Chicago White Sox (1979-86), Oakland A's (1986-1995) and St. Louis Cardinals (1996-2011) along with parts of 2 seasons managing in the minors. During his 16-year professional playing career, La Russa spent parts of 6 seasons in the Majors with the Kansas City Athletics (1963), Oakland A's (1968-71), Atlanta Braves (1971) and Chicago Cubs (1973).
La Russa's big league managerial career began with the White Sox in 1979 at the age of 35, when he became the youngest manager in the game. He was hired by then-General Manager Roland Hemond, who currently serves as D-backs Special Assistant to President & CEO Derrick Hall. He has been widely credited with creating the modern specialized bullpen and was an early adopter of statistical analysis.
He reached the pinnacle of his career in 2014, when he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Expansion Era Committee along with former Managers Cox and Torre. He was also inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2014 and had his No. 10 retired by the team. La Russa is a member of the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame (1998) and the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame (2008).
A native Spanish-speaker, La Russa graduated from Jefferson High School in Tampa, Fla., the same school that produced current D-backs Special Assistant to the President & CEO Luis Gonzalez as well as former big leaguers Tino Martinez and Fred McGriff.
La Russa graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in industrial management and earned his Juris Doctor from Florida State University in 1978, passing the Florida bar in 1979. He was one of just five lawyer/managers in baseball history, all of whom are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He has earned honorary doctoral degrees from two St. Louis-based colleges - the University of Missouri and Washington University.
In 2012, he released his memoir, "One Last Strike" and he was the focus of a 2005 book titled "Three Nights in August" by Buzz Bissinger. Both books were named to the New York Times bestseller list.
La Russa and his wife, Elaine founded Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) in 1991 to address the needs of companion animals. Their vision is an organization that can aid abandoned and homeless animals and promote the concept that people's lives can be enhanced by the bonds between humans and animals. The foundation has raised millions of dollars and for his efforts, he was awarded the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' (ASPCA), prestigious Henry Bergh Founder's Award in 2007.
He and Elaine reside in Alamo, Calif.. They have two daughters: Bianca and Devon.
