Tom Loftus

For the American diplomat and Wisconsin politician, see Thomas A. Loftus. For the Irish sports administrator, see Thomas Loftus.

Thomas Joseph Loftus (November 15, 1856 – April 16, 1910) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He had a brief major-league playing career, appearing as an outfielder in parts of the 1877 and 1883 seasons. As a manager, he led major-league teams in the Union Association, American Association, National League, and American League.

Tom Loftus
Loftus in 1902
Outfielder / Manager
Born: (1856-11-15)November 15, 1856 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Died: August 16, 1910(1910-08-16) (aged 53) Dubuque, Iowa, U.S.
Batted: Right Threw: Unknown
MLB debut
August 17, 1877, for the  St. Louis Brown Stockings
Last MLB appearance
May 13, 1883, for the  St. Louis Browns
MLB statistics
Batting average	.182
Hits	6
Managerial record	454–580
Stats at Baseball Reference
Managerial record at Baseball Reference
Teams
As player St. Louis Brown Stockings (1877) St. Louis Browns (1883) As manager Milwaukee Brewers (1884) Cleveland Blues (1888) Cleveland Spiders (1889) Cincinnati Reds (1890–1891) Chicago Orphans (1900–1901) Washington Senators (1902–1903)

Career

Loftus' playing career began in 1877 with the St. Louis Brown Stockings of the National League, but he only played in nine career games, in 1877 and 1883, as an outfielder.

Loftus' first managerial job came in 1884 with the minor-league Milwaukee Brewers. That team also played 12 games as a replacement team in the short-lived Union Association, compiling an 8–4 record.

Further information: 1884 Milwaukee Brewers season

Loftus returned to manage the minor-league Brewers in 1885, until their league folded mid-season.

Loftus later took over as manager of the Cleveland Spiders, then known as the Blues, partway through the 1888 season after Jimmy Williams resigned.^[1] In 1890, Loftus was hired to manage the Cincinnati Reds, who had recently made the jump from the American Association to the National League. For much of the 1890s, Loftus managed teams in the Western League, most notably for Columbus and Grand Rapids. In 1900 he returned to the National League to manage the Chicago Orphans for two seasons and then the Washington Senators of the American League for two seasons.

In each of his managerial stops, Loftus had part ownership of the team.^{[citation needed]} He died in Dubuque, Iowa, at the age of 53.