Bobby Cox, Former Atlanta Braves Manager And Hall Of Famer, Dead At 84

ATLANTA, GA — Bobby Cox, the former manager who led the Atlanta Braves to 14 straight divisional titles and the 1995 World Series championship, has died. He was 84.

In a statement, the Braves confirmed the death of their "treasured skipper" and called Cox "the best manager to ever wear a Braves uniform."

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"Bobby was a favorite among all in the baseball community, especially those who played for him," the statement read. "His wealth of knowledge on player development and the intricacies of managing the game were rewarded with the sport's ultimate prize in 2014 — enshrinement into the Baseball Hall of Fame."

The Braves did not release Cox's cause of death.

Cox’s induction into the Hall of Fame occurred four years after he ended his managerial career with the Braves. During his time with the team, the Braves accumulated more than 2,500 victories, the fourth-most in Major League history.

He also spent time with the Dodgers, Yankees, and Blue Jays, where, as well as with the Braves, he befriended executives, coaches, players, clubhouse employees, and even many of the umpires who played a part in him setting a potentially unbreakable record of 158 career ejections, according to the MLB.

Robert Joe Cox was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on May 21, 1941. At the age of 3, his family moved to Selma, California, in the San Joaquin Valley near Fresno.

During the early stages of his career, Cox played in the Minors for the Dodgers, Cubs and Braves before playing in the Majors for the Yankees during the 1968 and 1969 seasons. He returned to the Minors in 1970 and was preparing to possibly become a high school football coach before he was asked to manage New York's Class A team in Florida.

After six seasons, Cox was added to the Yankees coaching staff in 1977. Five years later, he was scooped up by the Blue Jays, guiding them to their first division title in 1985.

A few weeks after the win, the Braves called to offer him the job of general manager and a chance to return to Atlanta to be with his wife, Pam, and his family, who had stayed in Georgia during his four-season stint as the Blue Jays’ manager.

"While Bobby’s passion for the game was unparalleled, his love of baseball was exceeded only by his love for his family," the Braves wrote.

Cox took over the last-place Braves in June of 1990 and led the team to a worst-to-first finish in 1991, losing the World Series to the Minnesota Twins in seven games. That was the start of what was to be a record 14 consecutive division titles, a feat no professional team in any sport had accomplished.

Cox managed the Braves for 25 years and led Atlanta to its only World Series win before retiring after the 2010 season.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.