TALL GUYS
OUR CHAMPIONSHIP COACHES
100 years ago, the average American male height was 5' 7". Today it is 5' 9".
But for whatever reason, the coaches and managers who have led Philly's major league pro sports teams to championships over the past 120 years have been taller than average. Much taller.
In fact, only two were under 6 feet tall - Eddie Gottlieb (5' 8") and Fred Shero (5' 10"). Here is a complete list of the men who stood tall when Philly needed them most:
Now you may be thinking that perhaps the vast majority of pro sports' most successful managers and coaches were (or are) tall. But that is not the case.
Looking at the winningest MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL managers and coaches of all time, only Phil Jackson (at 6' 7") is more than 6 feet tall. All the rest were not - Joe McCarthy and Casey Stengel (MLB), Bill Belichick, George Halas, Curly Lambeau, and Vince Lombardi (NFL), Red Auerbach (NBA), Toe Blake and Scotty Bowman (NHL).
In fact, Vince Lombardi was only 5' 8"!
(For the record, Rob Thomson is 6' 0".)
