What is Tony La Russa's Net Worth and Salary?
Tony La Russa is a former professional baseball player, manager, and coach who has a net worth of $20 million. Tony La Russa's career in MLB spanned from 1963 to 2022. He played for the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics, Atlanta Braves, and Chicago Cubs before beginning his managerial career in 1979, with the Chicago White Sox. In his 33 years as a manager, La Russa helped guide his teams to three World Series titles, six league championships, and 13 division titles, finishing his career with the second-most wins of any MLB manager.
Coaching Salary & Contract
As you can imagine, the vast majority of Tony La Russa's net worth comes from his coaching contracts, not his playing contracts. Tony's final MLB contract with the White Sox was a 3-year, $11.25 million deal. That meant he was earning around $3.75 million per year at that point.
Early Life and Education
Tony La Russa Jr. was born on October 4, 1944 in Tampa, Florida to Olivia and Anthony Sr. He is of Spanish ancestry on his mother's side and of Italian heritage on his father's side. Growing up, La Russa played American Legion Baseball and PONY Baseball. He attended Thomas Jefferson High School, and later the University of South Florida, from which he graduated in 1969 after he had already begun his MLB career. La Russa went on to obtain a JD degree from the Florida State University College of Law in 1978.
Playing Career
After graduating from high school in 1962, La Russa signed with MLB's Kansas City Athletics. He started out in the minors, playing with the A's affiliates the Binghamton Triplets and the Daytona Beach Islanders. La Russa was called up to the majors for the 1963 season, although a shoulder injury limited him to just 34 games. He went back to the minors in 1964, and stayed there until 1968, by which time the A's had moved to Oakland. La Russa played with the Oakland A's from 1968 until 1971, and then briefly with the Atlanta Braves in 1971. His final MLB playing appearance was in a single game with the Chicago Cubs in 1973, in which he appeared as a pinch runner. La Russa finished his MLB playing career having batted .199 with 7 RBI in 132 total games.
Managerial Career
La Russa began his managerial career in 1979 with the Chicago White Sox. Starting out as skipper of the team's affiliate the Knoxville Sox, he was soon promoted to the coaching staff of the White Sox. La Russa was then named manager of the Triple-A Iowa Oaks. Finally, in the latter part of the 1979 season, he became the manager of the White Sox. La Russa had his best season with the White Sox in 1983, leading the team to the AL West title and earning AL Manager of the Year honors. He was ultimately fired midway through the 1986 season when his team had a 26-38 record. Less than three weeks later, La Russa was hired to manage his former team the Oakland Athletics. He had a terrific tenure as manager of the team, leading the A's to three consecutive AL pennants and World Series appearances from 1988 to 1990 and winning the World Series in 1989. In both 1988 and 1992, La Russa won the AL Manager of the Year award. He left the A's after the 1995 season, finishing with a regular-season record of 798-673 and a postseason record of 19-13.
In 1996, La Russa became manager of the St. Louis Cardinals. He had immediate success with the team, winning the NL Central title in his first season. La Russa continued his successful leadership throughout his tenure with the Cardinals, guiding the team to seven more NL Central titles between 2000 and 2009 and to a World Series title in 2006. In 2002, he became the first MLB manager to win four Manager of the Year awards. La Russa finished his career with the Cardinals on a high note in 2011, winning his third World Series title as manager. Just three days later, he announced his retirement. La Russa finished his tenure with the Cardinals with a regular-season record of 1,408-1,182 and a postseason record of 50-42. He went on to serve in various executive positions in MLB before he returned to a managerial role in 2021, for his former team the White Sox. That season, he led the team to its first AL Central title in 13 years. La Russa spent one more season as manager of the White Sox before announcing his retirement due to health issues.
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Personal Life
From his first marriage, to Luzette Sarcone, La Russa has two daughters named Andrea and Averie. With his second wife, Elaine Coker, he has two younger daughters named Bianca and Devon. La Russa and Coker founded the Animal Rescue Foundation, which was later renamed Joybound People & Pets. Based in Walnut Creek, California, the nonprofit rescues abandoned and injured animals and brings cats and dogs to people in need.
La Russa has had some run-ins with the law. In 2007, he was arrested in Jupiter, Florida after being found asleep at the wheel of his parked SUV in an intersection. La Russa was consequently booked and charged with DUI. He was charged with DUI again in early 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Real Estate
In February 1987, Tony paid $210,000 for a home in Alamo, California. He still owns this home today and it's currently estimated to be worth close to $5 million.In June 2014, Tony paid $1.233 million for a home in Danville, California.
