University of Minnesota Athletics

Molitor spoke to the media at Target Field on Tuesday. (Photo: Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins)

Molitor Named Minnesota Twins Manager

11/3/2014 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Nov. 3, 2014 - updated Nov. 4

Paul Molitor Photo Gallery

Baseball Hall of Famer and former Golden Gopher Paul Molitor has been named the manager of the Minnesota Twins, the ball club announced Monday. He was introduced at a press conference at Target Field on Tuesday.

It is the first managing job for Molitor, who joined the team's major league staff in 2013. He is the first former University of Minnesota baseball player to manage in Major League Baseball.

Molitor served as the Twins' minor league infield and baserunning coordinator in 2003 and from 2005 to 2013. He had earlier coached in the majors under former Twins manager Tom Kelly. Molitor also served as the Seattle Mariners' hitting coach in 2004.

Before going on to a Hall of Fame professional career, Molitor put together an All-American collegiate campaign at the University of Minnesota. He finished his Gopher career with a .350 batting average. He also set what were then school records in runs (112), triples (11), hits (159), home runs (18), total bases (254), RBI (99) and stolen bases (52). Molitor and the Gophers made it to the 1977 College World Series his senior season.

He was MLB's third draft pick of 1977, going to the Milwaukee Brewers. He spent 15 years with the Brewers before joining the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993. He was named World Series MVP that fall. The St. Paul native closed out his career with the Twins from 1996-98.

In 21 seasons in the major leagues, Molitor amassed 3,319 hits, including 605 doubles, and scored 1,782 runs. He was also one of only six players to record 3,000 hits and 500 stolen bases in his career joining Lou Brock, Ty Cobb, Eddie Collins, Honus Wagner and Ricky Henderson. Molitor was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004.

Molitor has also remained connected to his alma mater. As the chairman of Siebert Field campaign, he was instrumental in the 2013 opening of the Gophers' new field.

With Molitor's hiring, the University of Minnesota currently has student-athlete alumni serving as head coaches in MLB, the NBA (Flip Saunders for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Kevin McHale for the Houston Rockets), the NFL (Marc Trestman for the Chicago Bears) and the NHL (Todd Richards for the Columbus Blue Jackets). Minnesota is the only school represented in all four of these leagues. Only one other school (California) has former student-athletes as head coaches in three of the four.

Front page photo courtesy of Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins

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