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


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.