Paul Owens

Paul Francis Owens (February 7, 1924 – December 26, 2003), nicknamed "the Pope", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) front office executive, manager, and scout. Earlier, during his playing career, Owens was a first baseman and catcher, and then a manager, in minor league baseball.

Owens' entire Major League career was spent with the Philadelphia Phillies. He was the general manager and principal architect of the 1980 Phillies, who won the third National League (NL) pennant and became the first World Series champion in franchise history — breaking a 97-year streak of futility dating to the team's founding in . Owens was general manager of the Phillies from June 3, , through the end of , and twice (1972; 1983–1984) added the title of field manager to his job description.

In , he took the managerial reins of the Phillies in mid-season and led them to their fourth pennant, but lost to the Baltimore Orioles in the 1983 World Series. After his tenure as manager ended the following year, he remained with the team as an advisor and scout for the rest of his life.

Background Nicknamed "the Pope" because of his resemblance to Pope Paul VI, Owens was born in Salamanca, New York, and attended St. Bonaventure University. He served in the United States Army as a sergeant during World War II.

Owens and his wife, Marcelle, had two children.

After relinquishing managerial duties to Danny Ozark on November 7, 1972, he then returned to the front office and proceeded to turn the Phils into pennant contenders within three seasons. His farm system, one of the most productive in the game at the time, bore fruit—yielding players such as Mike Schmidt, Greg Luzinski, Bob Boone, Larry Bowa and Dick Ruthven. In addition, Owens aggressively swung trades to add missing pieces such as relief pitcher Tug McGraw and outfielders Garry Maddox and Bake McBride. The Phils won the NL East in ––—each time falling short in the National League Championship Series.

Owens thought he added the final piece in when he signed free agent Pete Rose, but the Phils stumbled and finished fourth. In 1980, under manager Dallas Green, the Phillies beat Houston in an intense NLCS and then defeated the Kansas City Royals for the team's first world championship.

Owens assumed the managerial role for a second time on July 18, 1983 after firing Pat Corrales despite the Phillies having a 43–42 record and being tied for first place with the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League East. The Owens-led ballclub went from one game over .500 to 47 wins in its last 77 matches to clinch the division title. They then defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in four games in the NLCS to win the Phillies' fourth pennant. During the World Series, the Phils lost to Baltimore in five games.

Owens returned to managing in , but the results were disappointing. The Phillies played only .500 ball and finished fourth, 15½ games behind the division champ Chicago Cubs.

Owens was relieved of both his GM and managing jobs during the off-season, but remained with the Phillies as a senior advisor and special scout until his death on December 26, 2003, aged 79, at a hospital in Woodbury, New Jersey. For the 2004 season, the Phillies wore a patch on their right shoulder featuring a banner reading "Pope" in honor of Owens, and a shamrock in honor of former relief pitcher McGraw, who had also died that winter.

Owens's career managing record was 161–158 (.505).

Managerial record Record as manager Team Year Regular season PostseasonGamesWonLostWin %Finish Won Lost Win % ResultPHI 80 6th in NL East ————PHI 77 1st in NL East Lost World Series (BAL)PHI 162 4th in NL East – – – –Total319 Record as general manager Team Year Regular season PostseasonGamesWonLostWin %Finish Won Lost Win % ResultPHI 113 6th in NL East ————PHI 162 6th in NL East ————PHI 162 3rd in NL East – – – –PHI 162 2nd in NL East – – – –PHI 162 1st in NL East Lost NLCS (CIN)PHI 162 1st in NL East Lost NLCS (LAD)PHI 162 1st in NL East Lost NLCS (LAD)PHI 163 4th in NL East ––––PHI 162 1st in NL East Won World Series (KC)TOR55 1st in NL East 2 3 .400 Lost NLDS (MTL)523rd in NL EastPHI 162 2nd in NL East – – – –PHI 163 1st in NL East Lost World Series (BAL)PHI 162 4th in NL East – – – –Total2,004

Honors Starting in 1986, the Phillies established the annual Paul Owens Award. This award is given each season to both the top pitcher and the top position player within the Phillies' minor-league system. In 1988, Owens was elected to the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame (the first non-Phillies player elected and enshrined). A plaque bearing his likeness is displayed in Ashburn Alley at Citizens Bank Park.

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