With Jeff Fisher recently leaving the Titans after 17 seasons and today's surprise resignation by Jerry Sloan in his 23rd season coaching the Jazz, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa takes over as the longest-tenured head man in major American sports.
With Jerry Sloan’s Resignation From Jazz, Cardinals’ Tony La Russa Tops Longest Tenured List
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La Russa joined the Cardinals in 1996, managing his first game for them that April. That puts him about eight months and a partial season ahead of Greg Popovich, who hired himself as coach of the Spurs 18 games into the 1996-1997 NBA season. (Meanwhile, Lindy Ruff's in his 14th season helming the Buffalo Sabres, and Andy Reid's 12 seasons in Philaphelphia now have him atop the NFL.)
↵By the way, La Russa doesn’t figure to be going anywhere soon. The Cardinals look like contenders in 2011, and TLR is just two seasons away from passing John McGraw for No. 2 on the all-time wins list (catching No. 1 Connie Mack is unthinkable).
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