OCTR Episode #49: Rich Donnelly Interview

Steubenville, Ohio born and raised, Rich Donnelly graduated from Steubenville Catholic Central high school where he played both baseball and basketball.

A baseball lover at heart, Donnelly took his skills to Xavier University after graduating from high school.

The catcher was signed by the Minnesota Twins in 1967 and spent four seasons in the team’s minor league organization.

Donnelly transitioned seamlessly into a long and successful managerial career in professional baseball.  He managed in the Texas Rangers’ minor league system from 1972 to 1979 and again in 1981 and 1982. He was the team’s bullpen coach in 1980 and first base coach from 1983 to 1985.

Donnelly was a key member of legendary manager Jim Leyland’s staff in three different organizations over a 14-year span. He spent over a decade with Leyland in Pittsburgh, two years in Florida where the team captured a World Series title in 1997 and a single season in Colorado, where Donnelly stayed until 2002.

He then spent three years, 2003 through 2005, as a third base coach in Milwaukee and the following two years, 2006 and 2007 as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ third base coach.

After a few years working in player development for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Donnelly made a few coaching stops in the minors before again returning to the big leagues with the Seattle Mariners in 2014.

Donnelly, most recently, coached again in the New York Mets farm system in 2019.

His baseball life has, to say the least, been quite a ride. We caught up to him recently to talk about his love for the Pirates, all of the baseball cards he’s appeared on over the years, coaching Macho Man Randy Savage and so much more.