Milwaukee Milkmen Name Gary McClure Manager
In American Association Daily, the Minor League Sports Report’s Robert Pannier examines the hiring of Gary McClure to be the first manager of the Milwaukee Milkmen.
Gary McClure Will Lead Milwaukee Milkmen
With less than 100 days until the 2019 American Association season gets underway, the Milwaukee Milkmen have named their manager, selecting former Austin Peay Head Coach Gary McClure to lead the team in their first season. While it has been rumored that the team had their manager in tow since late last year, McClure’s name recently appeared on the American Association website as the Field Manager for the Milkmen.
A Distinguished Career
Gary McClure is an Iowa native, which is where he would begin his college career, playing for Southeastern Community College his first two years in college. He would transfer to Cumberland University (Lebannon, TN), where he would play baseball for the next two seasons.
After completing his eligibility, McClure transferred to Austin Peay University where he would work as a student assistant coach while completing his degree. That proved to be a very fortuitous decision, as Head Coach Billy Merkel would retire shortly afterward.
McClure was offered the job and he became a legend for the Governors. He became the winningest coach in school history, earning 847 victories. Austin Peay won 13 Ohio Valley Conference titles in his 27 seasons, and 14 times won at least 30 games. That included an impressive 44-22 mark in 1996 when the Governors made it to the NCAA Regionals. Six times the school made it to the Regionals.
Gary McClure was inducted into the Austin Peay Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012. His 847 wins are not only a school record, but a record in the Ohio Valley Conference as well. He also holds the record for most conference wins (363).
His accomplishments extended to the players as well. Under his tutelage, 64 players moved onto play professional baseball, and he had six who reached the Major Leagues, including catcher A.J. Ellis.
In 2016, McClure was hired as the Manager of the Battle Creek Bombers in the Northwoods League. He would spend one season there, leading the team to a 40-33 mark and a trip to the playoffs. They would defeat the Madison Mallards before falling to the Rapids Rafters in the championship series.
In 2017, McClure took the reins of the Kokomo Jackrabbits (Prospect League). In his first season with the team, the Jackrabbits finished 27-33, but they rebounded beautifully in 2018, winning the East Division with a 37-22 record. Kokomo would defeat the Chillicothe Paints in the Eastern Division championship series, 2 games to 1, but would fall to the Terre Haute Rex in the championship round.
A New Challenge
While arriving in Milwaukee with an impressive resume, Gary McClure has not managed at the professional level before. That should pose an interesting challenge for the Milkmen’s skipper, but his “lack” of experience is not likely to be an impediment. The Milkmen have done just about everything right as they approach their first season in the American Association. There is no reason to think that the hiring of Gary McClure is anything but another great delivery by the team.
By Robert Pannier