Bill Rigney
Infielder & Manager · Giants, Angels, Twins
Baseball · Enshrined Legend
Bill Rigney
An Alameda native who parlayed an eight-year run as a Giants infielder into 18 seasons as a big-league manager, including a Manager of the Year season with the expansion Angels.
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Seasons as a New York Giants Infielder
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Years as an MLB Manager
.965
Career Fielding Percentage
The Backstory
Alameda to the Big League Dugout
Alameda roots
Grew up in Alameda starring for the family-sponsored, semi-pro Rigney Tile Nine, then played for the Pacific Coast League's Oakland Oaks.
Eight seasons as a Giants infielder
Joined the New York Giants in 1946 and played eight years, posting a .965 fielding percentage.
Eighteen years in the dugout
Managed the New York/San Francisco Giants, Angels, and Twins across an 18-year managerial career, earning Manager of the Year honors with the expansion Angels in 1962.
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See Bill Rigney in Action
1946 → 1962
Career Timeline
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1946
Debuts with the New York Giants
Begins an eight-year playing career as an infielder.
Player and Manager
A steady infielder who became one of the game's respected managerial voices.
Eight seasons with the Giants — As an infielder, starting in 1946.
.965 career fielding percentage — Reliable defense throughout his playing days.
18 years as a major league manager — Across the Giants, Angels, and Twins organizations.
1962 AL Manager of the Year — Led the expansion Angels to acclaim in the award's early years.
Every award, on the record
Honors & Awards
AL Manager of the Year
Honored for guiding the expansion Angels.
More To Know
Deeper Cuts on Bill Rigney
Rigney was born in 1918 and served in the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II before ever reaching the majors.
As a player he hit .259 with 41 home runs and 510 hits over 654 games, and drew a walk in his only plate appearance at the 1948 All-Star Game.
A hard slide from Phillies catcher Andy Seminick in August 1950 sparked a ten-minute bench-clearing brawl that needed police to break up.
Before reaching the majors as a skipper, he managed the Minneapolis Millers to the 1955 American Association and Junior World Series titles.
He was the Angels' very first manager in franchise history, steering them through a 91-loss debut season in 1961.
His managerial career ended with 1,239 wins against 1,321 losses, and after hanging up his lineup card he moved into the broadcast booth, calling games for the Giants and later the Athletics.
He died in 2001 at age 83 in Walnut Creek, and the Bay Area still hands out an annual 'Bill Rigney Good Guy Award' to the local player most accommodating to the media.
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