Report: UCF targeting Girardi for baseball coach
Published
A well-known name could be heading to NCAA baseball.
Rivals.com's Brandon Helwig reports the Knights are targeting World Series-winning manager Joe Girardi as the team's new head coach.
Helwig notes Girardi met with UCF officials on Wednesday with the school looking to make a big splash with its move to the Big 12 next months.
Girardi, 58, has not worked since his firing last June by the Philadelphia Phillies.
A native of Peoria, IL, Girardi spent 15 seasons in the big leagues as a catcher from 1989 to 2003. An All-Star in 2000, Girardi appeared in 1,277 career games with the Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals, winning three World Series as a player.
He got his start in management in 2006 with the Florida Marlins, following two seasons working with the YES Network after retirement. Despite winning the 2006 National League Manager of the Year, Girardi was fired by the Marlins after one season.
The Northwestern product was hired by the Yankees in 2008 and would spend a decade in the Bronx. With the Yankees, Girardi made the playoffs on six occasions, winning four American League East titles and the 2009 World Series. His contract was not renewed following the 2017 season.
Girardi was hired by the Phillies ahead of the 2020 season and was dismissed with a 22-29 mark midway through last season.
All told, Girardi has a mark of 1,120-935 (.545) as a big league manager, putting him 55th all-time in victories.