'Tito' lives in record book
Nationally, Terry Francona is known more for who he managed than where he went to college.
Long before he managed the Boston Red Sox to two World Series titles in four years, the man they call “Tito” was writing his name in the Arizona Wildcats’ record book.
He hit .321 as a freshman and .378 as a sophomore, when he set a still-standing school record with 35 multi-hit games.
Francona led the Wildcats to a 1980 College World Series championship as a junior. His stat line — a .401 batting average, nine home runs, 84 RBIs, 28 stolen bases, 64 runs scored, 26 doubles and an .473 on-base percentage — stands as the best in program history.
Francona went 5 for 5 in the UA’s second-to-last College World Series game, a win over Cal, and was eventually named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. He was named an All-American and won the presitigious Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the nation’s best player. Francona was the first — and, so far, only — Wildcat to do so. The Montreal Expos selected him in the first round of the 1980 draft, and he played 10 years in the big leagues before becoming a manager.
