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Chicago Cubs: The disastrous ‘College of Coaches’ merry-go-round of 1961

By Logan Whaley

CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 28: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been converted to black and white) General view of the stadium light banks during game two of a doubleheader between the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs on June 28, 2011 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. The Giants won 6-3. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 28: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been converted to black and white) General view of the stadium light banks during game two of a doubleheader between the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs on June 28, 2011 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. The Giants won 6-3. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)
(Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images) /

Chicago Cubs: The beginning of the end

The 1960 Cubs team, led by Charlie Grimm to begin the season, and, shortly after that, Lou Boudreau for the remainder of the year was terrible. Finishing 60-94 on the year, not a single player on the team hit over .300, as 33-year-old Richie Ashburn finished his campaign with a .291 average, the highest on the team.

As an organization in disarray, Wrigley needed to shift gears as a whole, and, so, he made a drastic change heading into the 1961 regular season that would end up being one of the worst decisions any manager could have made.

As he called it, the ‘College of Coaches’ was a simple idea wherein there would be a rotating carousel of faces in charge of managing the team. At best, it would work where the heir apparent would take over and find success. At worst, it would be a nightmare for players and fans alike. As expected, the latter ended up being the case.

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