Roll Call Tribute

David Allen "Davey" Johnson 

January 30, 1943 - September 5, 2025 

Davey Johnson, the innovative, plain-spoken second baseman turned championship manager who led the rambunctious 1986 New York Mets to a World Series title, died Friday, September 5, 2025, in Sarasota, Florida. He was 82. His death followed a long illness.

Born David Allen Johnson on January 30, 1943, in Orlando, Florida, he excelled early, first at Alamo Heights High School in San Antonio and then as a mathematics student whose curiosity about numbers would shape a managerial career ahead of its time. As a player, Johnson won two World Series rings with the Baltimore Orioles (1966, 1970) and earned four All-Star selections and three Gold Gloves at second base. 

Long before "analytics" became an MLB buzzword, Johnson was blending baseball with data. With a math degree from Trinity University and coursework at Johns Hopkins, he experimented with computer-generated lineups as a player and carried those evidence-based instincts into managing. Beyond the majors, Johnson left his mark on the international game, managing Team USA to a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and leading the U.S. in the 2009 Baseball World Cup.