Alexander Sebastian Campanis (
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
: Αλέξανδρος Σεβαστιανός Καμπάνης; November 2, 1916 – June 21, 1998) was an American executive in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB). He had a brief major league playing career, as a
second baseman
In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the Infielder, infield, between Baseball field#Second base, second and Baseball field#First base, first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and f ...
for the
Brooklyn Dodgers
The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, it became a member of the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantics before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brook ...
in 1943; he was the first Greek player in MLB history. Campanis is most famous for his position as
general manager
A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...
of the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
from 1968 to 1987, from which he was fired on April 8, 1987, as a result of controversial remarks regarding black people in baseball made during an interview on ''
Nightline
''Nightline'' (or ''ABC News Nightline'') is ABC News (United States), ABC News' Late night television in the United States, late-night television news program broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC in the United States with a franchis ...
'' two days earlier.
Early life
Al Campanis was born to Greek-speaking parents in
Kos, a small island within the
Dodecanese
The Dodecanese (, ; , ''Dodekánisa'' , ) are a group of 15 larger and 150 smaller Greek islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean, off the coast of Anatolia, of which 26 are inhabited. This island group generally define ...
Islands, on November 2, 1916. Kos has been part of Greece since 1947, although, at the time of Campanis' birth, it belonged to Italy.
He moved with his family to New York City at age 6. He attended
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
, graduating in 1940.
Baseball
After graduating, Campanis became a professional baseball player, signing with the
Brooklyn Dodgers
The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, it became a member of the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantics before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brook ...
. He was sent to play with several
minor league
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 Nort ...
teams: the
Macon Peaches
The Macon Peaches was the predominant name of the American minor league baseball franchise representing Macon, Georgia, during the 20th century.
Although Macon did not field teams during and immediately after World War I, the height of the Great ...
in 1940,
Reading Brooks in 1941,
Knoxville Smokies
The Knoxville Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Knoxville, Tennessee. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The team was based in Kodak, Tennessee, a Knoxville suburb, fr ...
in 1942, and
Montreal Royals
The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team in Montreal, Quebec, during 1897–1917 and 1928–1960. A member of the International League, the Royals were the top farm club ( Class AAA) of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939; pi ...
in 1943. He eventually played for the Brooklyn Dodgers as a
second baseman
In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the Infielder, infield, between Baseball field#Second base, second and Baseball field#First base, first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and f ...
for seven games late in their
1943 season. He then served in the
U.S. Navy in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, reaching the rank of
Chief Petty Officer
A chief petty officer (CPO) is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards, usually above petty officer.
By country
Australia
"Chief Petty Officer" is the second highest non-commissioned rank in the Royal Australian Navy ...
.
After returning from the war, Campanis rejoined the Montreal Royals. With Montreal in 1946, Campanis played 116 games at
shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...
and was teammates with
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first Black American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the Baseball color line, ...
, who played 119 games at second base. Campanis remained with Montreal in 1947, while Robinson played for the Dodgers, breaking the
baseball color line
The color line, also known as the color barrier, in American baseball excluded players of black African descent from Major League Baseball and its affiliated Minor League Baseball, Minor Leagues until 1947 (with a few notable exceptions in the 1 ...
. Campanis' final season playing professional baseball was 1948, when he was
player-manager
A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...
of the
Nashua Dodgers in
New Hampshire
New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
. Pitcher
Dan Bankhead
Daniel Robert Bankhead (May 3, 1920 – May 2, 1976) was the first African American pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played in the Negro leagues for the Birmingham Black Barons and the Memphis Red Sox from 1940 to 1947, then played for the ...
, who in 1947 had become the first African American
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...
in MLB, won 20 games for Nashua in 1948.
Campanis soon afterward became a
scout
Scout may refer to:
Youth movement
*Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement
** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom
** Scouts BSA, sect ...
for the Dodgers, then eventually their scouting director. While a scout, he notably discovered future
Hall of Famers Roberto Clemente
Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker (; August 18, 1934 – December 31, 1972) was a Puerto Rican professional baseball player who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, primarily as a right fielder. On December ...
and
Sandy Koufax
Sanford Koufax (; né Braun; born December 30, 1935), nicknamed "the Left Arm of God", is an American former baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 195 ...
. Campanis moved with the team to Los Angeles when they became the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
in 1958.
In 1968, Campanis became the Dodgers'
general manager
A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...
.
In one of his first trades as general manager, Campanis traded his own son
Jim, to the
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...
for two minor leaguers. Under Campanis, the Dodgers reached the
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
four times:
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
,
1977
Events January
* January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...
,
1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...
, and
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...
. They lost the first three, before finally winning in 1981.
Racially insensitive comments
The impetus for Campanis being invited onto ''
Nightline
''Nightline'' (or ''ABC News Nightline'') is ABC News (United States), ABC News' Late night television in the United States, late-night television news program broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC in the United States with a franchis ...
'' came because of timing. On that day of April 6, 1987, the
Marvin Hagler vs. Sugar Ray Leonard middleweight championship fight was occurring in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
, and the end of the fight would coincide roughly around the time that the show would be televised, which provided the program with a chance to attract viewers by stating the outcome of the fight live. A network editor provided the suggestion to do a tribute piece on
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first Black American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the Baseball color line, ...
as a way to fill time before finding out the winner of the fight, since the 40th anniversary of Robinson's debut in the majors was on the 15th. The tribute would have a taped package with announcer
Red Barber
Walter Lanier "Red" Barber (February 17, 1908 – October 22, 1992) was an American sports announcer and author. Nicknamed "The Ol' Redhead", he was primarily identified with broadcasts of Major League Baseball, calling play-by-play across four ...
and
Rachel Robinson
Rachel Annetta Robinson (''née'' Isum; born July 19, 1922) is an American former professor and registered nurse. She is the widow of professional baseball player Jackie Robinson. After her husband's death, she founded the Jackie Robinson Found ...
for the taped segment while having a live conversation with
Don Newcombe,
Roger Kahn
Roger Kahn (October 31, 1927 – February 6, 2020) was an American journalist and author, best known for his 1972 baseball book '' The Boys of Summer''.
Biography
Roger Kahn was born in Brooklyn, New York, on October 31, 1927, to Olga (''née ...
and Campanis (as suggested by producer Rick Kaplan) that would have each person chime in from different places in the country. However, Campanis would end up being the only one to be able to make the full segment, as Newcombe suffered a late plane arrival and Kahn had trouble with floods, complete with Campanis being filmed for his segment at the
Astrodome
The NRG Astrodome, formerly and also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, was the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas, United States. It seated around 50,000 fans, with a record atte ...
(where the Dodgers were playing that night); it was stated later that people around Campanis were wary of the idea of him being interviewed by host
Ted Koppel
Edward James Martin Koppel (born February 8, 1940) is an American broadcast Journalism, journalist, best known as the News presenter, anchor for ''Nightline'', from the program's inception in 1980 until 2005.
Before ''Nightline'', he spent 20 y ...
, since Campanis was described as having a tendency of "mangling the language" with confusing statements. The segment with Campanis started after the taped portion ended, which closed with Rachel Robinson stating, "It's not coincidental that baseball in the 40-year period has not been able to integrate at any other level other than the players' level - we have a long way to go."
Campanis, who had played alongside Robinson and was known for being close to him, was being interviewed about the subject. ''Nightline'' anchorman
Ted Koppel
Edward James Martin Koppel (born February 8, 1940) is an American broadcast Journalism, journalist, best known as the News presenter, anchor for ''Nightline'', from the program's inception in 1980 until 2005.
Before ''Nightline'', he spent 20 y ...
asked him why, at the time, there had been few
black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
managers and no black general managers or owners in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
. Campanis's reply was: "I truly believe that they may not have some of the necessities to be, let's say, a field manager, or, perhaps, a general manager." Later in the interview, to defend his views when pressed by Koppel, Campanis asked: "Why are black men or black people not good swimmers? Because they don't have the buoyancy." Koppel gave Campanis several opportunities to clarify or back down from his remarks, asking Campanis several times, "Do you really believe that?" Koppel also pointed out that much of what Campanis was saying "sounds a lot like the garbage we heard 40 years ago." Campanis doubled down on his views, suggesting that African Americans "certainly are short" on individuals with strong decision-making capabilities, asking Koppel: "How many quarterbacks do you have? How many pitchers do you have that are black?" Campanis was fired less than 48 hours later.
The controversy was especially heated when it was pointed out that Campanis had participated in the decision over who would replace
Walter Alston as the manager of the Dodgers. It had been a choice between the two coaches at the time,
Tommy Lasorda and
Jim Gilliam, and it raised the question of whether Gilliam had been passed over because he was black.
In an interview the next year, Campanis attempted to clarify that he was referring to the lack of African-Americans with experience in these areas, rather than their innate abilities. He also said that he was "wiped out" when the interview took place and therefore not entirely himself. Many other figures in baseball, such as Lasorda and African-American and Latin players who played for the Dodgers, have also spoken in Campanis's defense.
Two months after the episode aired,
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
hired sociologist and civil right activist
Harry Edwards to begin a diversity-increasing initiative among leadership in the sport. Edwards stated later that one of the first people to call him was Campanis, who asked how he could help and that if his comments opened the door for help, then "it was worth it."
Edwards later said of Campanis:
In 1988, Campanis himself added similarly: "Time has diffused the immediate hurt of April 6", and that "It has turned out to be a plus for baseball and myself."
Personal life and family
Campanis had two sons, baseball player
Jim and George.
Death
Campanis died on June 21, 1998, at his home in
Fullerton, California
Fullerton ( ) is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 143,617.
Fullerton was founded in 1887. It secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and S ...
, from coronary artery disease, at age 81. Campanis was survived by his sons, George and Jim, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
He was interred in the mausoleum crypt at Loma Vista Memorial Park in Fullerton.
Works
*
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References
Further reading
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Campanis, Al
1916 births
1998 deaths
Greek emigrants to the United States
United States Navy personnel of World War II
Brooklyn Dodgers players
Brooklyn Dodgers scouts
Knoxville Smokies players
Los Angeles Dodgers executives
Major League Baseball controversies
Major League Baseball general managers
Major League Baseball players from Italy
Major League Baseball second basemen
Macon Peaches players
Montreal Royals players
Nashua Dodgers players
Montreal Royals managers
NYU Violets baseball players
NYU Violets football players
People from Kos
United States Navy sailors
Deaths from coronary artery disease
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
Naturalized citizens of the United States