P.K. Wrigley

Philip Knight Wrigley (December 5, 1894 – April 12, 1977), sometimes also called P.K. or Phil, was an American chewing gum manufacturer and executive in Major League Baseball, inheriting both those roles as the quiet son of his much more flamboyant father, William Wrigley, Jr.. In 1912, Wrigley founded the Lincoln Park Gun Club with Oscar F. Mayer, Sewell Avery, and other prominent Chicagoans.

Wrigley was born in Chicago. His father died in 1932 elevating Philip's role in the family business. He presided over the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, and also the family hobby, the Chicago Cubs, as owner until his death. He passed the title of "Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company President" to his son William Wrigley III in 1961.

While the gum industry prospered, the Cubs grew less competitive over the decades. After an appearance in the 1945 World Series, they only had seven winning seasons in the next 32 years, including 16 straight losing seasons from 1947 to 1962. They did have a brief flurry of success (although no pennant championship) in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Although resisting installing lights at Wrigley Field to donate to the Navy during wartime, he was innovative in other ways. In 1961 he abolished the traditional field management/coaching structure and instead hired a "College of Coaches". This anticipated the specialization of coaches that is taken for granted nowadays. His one mistake, however, was not having a manager. Instead, he opted to have the various coaches as a "head coach." Without firm and consistent leadership, the Cubs continued to languish in the standings, despite having Cubs greats Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, and Billy Williams on the roster. Amid constant ridicule from the media and players, he dropped the head coach idea and hired Leo Durocher as the manager in 1966.

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