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Chris Cannizzaro
Chris Cannizzaro takes on the position of San Diego's Director of Baseball Operations in 2006. The former Major League All-Star had spent the previous six seasons as an assistant coach with Rich Hill and the Toreros. No stranger to baseball in the city of San Diego, Cannizzaro spent 13 years in the majors - including two stints with the San Diego Padres, where he became the first All-Star in Padre baseball history in the 1969 campaign. A durable defensive catcher, Cannizzaro played in 740 major league games while playing for the St. Louis Cardinals (1960-61), New York Mets (1962-65), Pittsburgh (1968), San Diego (1969-71; 1974), Chicago Cubs (1971) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (1972-73). Cannizzaro holds a share of the Major League record for most unassisted double plays by a catcher (2). Once his playing career ended, Cannizzaro shifted his focus to coaching and spent three seasons (1976-78) with the Atlanta Braves organization before coaching in the California Angels organization from 1979-82 in the Class A Cal State League. Cannizzaro has two sons - Chris Jr. and Ken, and a daughter, Kimberlee. Chris Jr. was a two-time All-America selection at San Diego State where he was a teammate of USD head coach Rich Hill for one season. Cannizzaro also has three stepdaughters - Marcia, Tricia and Jennifer. Aside from his lifelong passion for the game of baseball, Cannizzaro also enjoys golf and spending time with his four grandchildren - Brittney (17), Morgan (13), Zachary (12) and Cassidy (9). Cannizzaro and his wife, Janice, reside in San Diego. |
