Chris Sabo is a baseball coach who serves as the head coach of the University of Akron, Ohio. He previously made a name for himself as a third baseman in Major League Baseball, playing for teams like the Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, and St. Louis Cardinals. During his playing career which lasted from 1988 to 1996, Sabo won different awards. He was named the 1988 NL Rookie of the Year and won the World Series in 1990. He is also a three-time All-Star.
Other than his career, Sabo has also enjoyed success in his personal life. He has been married for more than three decades to his wife Susan Joyce. The duo have been blessed with three daughters, one of whom has gained fame as a sports reporter. Find out more interesting facts about the baseball coach.
Chris Sabo Biography Profile
- Full Name: Christopher Andrew Sabo
- Date of Birth: January 19, 1962
- Age: 60 years old
- Nationality: American
- Education: Detroit Catholic Central High School; University of Michigan
- Place of Birth: Detroit, Michigan
- Profession: Baseball Coach
- Wife: Susan Joyce (m. 1989)
- Children: Annie, Brooke, and Olivia
Chris Sabo was born in Detroit, Michigan
Chris Sabo was born Christopher Andrew Sabo on January 19, 1962, in Detroit, Michigan, making him an American by nationality. The future baseball player came from very humble beginnings as he was born to a father who was a plumber and a mother who made a living by waiting tables.
The family made their home in the Rosedale Park neighborhood of the city. They notably lived three blocks from Willie Horton, a member of the 1968 Championship-winning Detroit Tiger team.
He Played Three Different Sports in High School
For his high school education, Chris Sabo attended Detroit Catholic Central High School. Here, he played hockey, golf, and baseball and was pretty good in all three sports. He was particularly a standout in baseball and hockey and was conflicted on which sport to concentrate on in his senior high school year.
Sabo ended up choosing baseball, the sport where he twice earned All-State honors. He was subsequently selected in the 1980 MLB Draft by the Montreal Expos but he opted to attend college by accepting a scholarship offer from the University of Michigan.
Sabo Played Collegiate Baseball for Three years Before Turning Pro
After his exploits in high school, Chris Sabo focused on life in college. It however took him a while to make an impact. In 1983, after playing collegiate summer baseball the year before, he played a key role on the Michigan team that finished third in the College World Series. Sabo’s performance that year earned him first-team All-American honors from The Sporting News and Baseball America.
He Spent Five Seasons in the Minor Leagues After He was Drafted in 1983
Chris Sabo was selected in the 1983 Major League Baseball Draft by the Cincinnati Reds who picked him up in the second round. Things however didn’t move as quickly as expected as Sabo had to spend five years in the Reds’ minor league system. He generally failed to impress as he had poor numbers but his ability, grit, and hustle, were evident for everybody to see. This helped in endearing him to Red’s manager Pete Rose who promoted him in 1988 after his team was in need of a third baseman.
He quickly became a fan favorite with his easily identifiable wraparound protective eyeglasses and flat-top haircut. Sabo would go on to make the most of this opportunity with his hustle and determination that allowed him to put in headline-making performances, one of which includes his first career home run. By the end of the season, he had posted a .271 average with 11 home runs and 44 RBI, pounded out 40 doubles, and also stole 46 bases.
This enabled him to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award. He was also featured on the cover of Baseball America and The Sporting News and was the subject of a feature article in Sports Illustrated.
Chris Sabo won the World Series in 1990 with the Cincinnati Reds
After his rookie of the year season where he made his first All-Star appearance, Chris Sabo had a poor year in 1989. He and his team would however return to greatness in 1990 as they won the World Series. He played a key role in this achievement as he batted .270 with 25 home runs and 71 RBI.
Sabo made the National League All-Star team in 1990 and 1991 before injuries hampered his play. He would go on to play for the Baltimore Orioles (1994), Chicago White Sox (1995), and St. Louis Cardinals (1995) before returning to Cincinnati in 1996 for his final year.
Sabo Began His Coaching Career More Than a Decade AFter Retiring
Sabo was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall Of Fame in 2010. Around that time, he began dabbling into coaching, serving as a coach in the Reds’ minor league system. He coached the Advanced Rookie Billings Mustangs and Class A Dayton Dragons. He would also spend four years as the manager at IMG Academy in Florida before becoming an assistant coach for the University of Cincinnati. He was also named Field Manager of the Green Bay Bullfrogs of the Northwoods college summer league in 2017.
Chris Sabo’s lasted role is as the head coach of the University of Akron’s baseball team. He was appointed to the position in 2018 and continues to serve in the role.
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Chris Sabo Has Been Married to Susan Joyce Since 1989
In 1989, the year after Chris Sabo won the Rookie of the Year award, he married Susan Joyce. Very little is known about how the two met each other and the details of their nuptials. It is also not known what she does for a living although a few reports say that she is a physician.
Chris and Susan have enjoyed marital life that has lasted for more than three decades and produced three daughters.
He Has Three Daughters; One of Whom is a Sports Journalist
Chris Sabo and his wife Susan are proud parents to three girls; Annie, Brooke, and Olivia. His oldest child Annie is a sports reporter on Bally Sports Ohio covering the Reds. She attended her father’s alma mater, the University of Michigan, graduating in 2015 before launching her career. Other stations she has worked for include KRIS in Corpus Christi, Texas, and WFLA-TV in Tampa, Florida. She is married to pro-golfer Kevin Roy.
The couple’s second daughter Brooke is a graduate of Ohio State University who serves as a property manager. Olivia, their youngest daughter, appears to have an inkling of sports. She plays tennis and was part of the Ursuline Academy tennis team in 2014 and 2015.
Sabo Continues to Play Golf
Following his senior high school year when he had to drop golf to concentrate on baseball, Chris Sabo maintained an interest in the sport. He has been a member of Kenwood Country Club in Cincinnati where plays actively. After retiring, he began to participate in celebrity golf tournaments around the US. He is said to be good enough to have qualified for several major United States Golf Association tournaments.
Chris Sabo Enrolled to Study Law in 2009 at Northern Kentucky University
Despite not getting a degree from the University of Michigan where he played college baseball, Chris Sabo has since returned to school. Two years after retiring, he completed the requirements to be awarded a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Xavier University in 1998. He would later enroll at Northern Kentucky University law school in 2009.
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