John Thomas Tighe ( – ), pronounced "tie", was an American minor league baseball player and a coach,

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

and scout for the Detroit Tigers of

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

Biography

Born in

Kearny, New Jersey Kearny ( ) is a town in the western part of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Newark. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 40,684,catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

with the

Charleston Senators The Charleston Senators were an American minor league baseball team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They were the first professional baseball team to play in Charleston, beginning play in 1910. The team was inactive during a few periods, playi ...

, a Detroit

farm club In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

in the Class C

Middle Atlantic League The Middle Atlantic League (or Mid-Atlantic League) was a lower-level circuit in United States, American minor league baseball that played during the second quarter of the 20th century. History The Middle Atlantic League played from 1925 in base ...

. A right-handed batter listed as tall and , he rose no further as a player than Class A-1 (now Double-A), two levels below the major leagues, with the

Beaumont Exporters The Beaumont Exporters was the predominant name of a minor league baseball team located in Beaumont, Texas that played between 1920 and 1957 in the Texas League and the Big State League. Beaumont rejoined the Class AA Texas League (1983-1986) and ...

of the

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

in 1938–39. The following season, Tighe became a manager in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...

. In 1940 and 1941, Tighe was player-manager of the Muskegon Clippers, a

Michigan State League The Michigan State League was a minor league baseball league that operated in various seasons between 1889 and 1941. The league franchises were based exclusively in Michigan, with the league forming on six different occasions. Twenty two different ...

Tigers farm club. He was a Detroit coach for the latter half of the 1942

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

season, then resumed his minor league managerial career from 1944 to 1953. In 1948, Tighe was assigned to be the first manager of the Flint Arrows in the

Central League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consi ...

. He was again named to the coaching staff of the Tigers for 1955–56, replacing his boss,

Bucky Harris Stanley Raymond "Bucky" Harris (November 8, 1896 – November 8, 1977) was an American professional baseball second baseman, manager and executive. While Harris played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Senators and Detroit Tiger ...

, as Detroit's manager following the 1956 season. Tighe led the Tigers to a 78–76, fourth-place finish in , although when Detroit faltered (21–28) early on during the campaign, he was released in favor of Bill Norman. Tighe's career managing record: 99 wins, 104 defeats (.488). He later managed and scouted in the Milwaukee Braves organization before returning to the Tigers' farm system, winning the 1967 Governors' Cup championship and the 1968 International League regular season championship at the helm of the

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

. He served full-time with the Detroit Tigers system until 1982 then under various capacities until 1990. Jack Tighe died at age 88 on , eight days short of his 89th birthday in Pompano Beach, Florida.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tighe, Jack 1913 births 2002 deaths Batavia Clippers players Baseball coaches from New Jersey Beaumont Exporters players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) managers Charleston Senators players Detroit Tigers coaches Detroit Tigers managers Detroit Tigers scouts Hartford Bees players Louisville Colonels (minor league) managers Milwaukee Braves scouts Minor league baseball managers Muskegon Reds players People from Kearny, New Jersey Baseball players from Hudson County, New Jersey Toledo Mud Hens managers Winston-Salem Twins players