Take a look:
Anderson, who only played one season, albeit a full season, as a player in the Major Leagues back in 1959 with the Philadelphia Phillies, began what would end up being a Hall of Fame managerial career in 1970, taking over the Cincinnati Reds at JUST the right time.
It would begin a run that would arguably make the Reds the team of the 1970’s, aka the “Big Red Machine” with guys like Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan and Tony Perez.
They’d take home four National League pennants and two World Championships during the decade, with five first place finishes and three second place finishes with Sparky at the helm between 1970 and 1978.
As if all that wasn’t enough already, Anderson would switch gears and take charge of the Detroit Tigers in 1979, a position he would hold for the next 17 years, brining home another championship in 1984 during their magical season that saw them start the year at 35-5!
By the time he was done managing in the Majors, he put in 26 seasons, all with the Reds and Tigers between 1970 and 1995, finishing with 2194 wins and a .545 winning percentage, topping 100 wins three times and winning the aforementioned three championships and five pennants.
