Phils coach John Vukovich dies

CLEARWATER, Fla. - John Vukovich, 59, one of the most popular coaches in Phillies history, died today

at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital of brain cancer.

Mr. Vukovich, better known as "Vuke" to everyone in the baseball world, spent 41 years in professional baseball, 31 of them with the Phillies as a player, coach, interim manager and most recently as a front-office adviser. Mr. Vukovich had surgery in 2001 to remove a brain tumor, but he had privately battled another tumor for the last several months.

This season, the Phillies will wear black patches on their uniforms with the letters VUK on them in memory of Mr. Vukovich.

He set a Phillies record by coaching for 17 consecutive years (1988-2004) before he moved into the front office to work under general managers Ed Wade and Pat Gillick.

Selected by the Phillies as a third baseman in the January 1966 draft out of American River Junior College in Sacramento, Calif., Mr. Vukovich played parts of seven seasons with the Phillies (1970-71, '76-77, '79-81). He also played for the Milwaukee Brewers (1973-74) and Cincinnati Reds (1975).

He was a member of two World Series championship teams: the '75 Reds and '80 Phillies.

Mr. Vukovich caught the final out of Rick Wise's no-hitter on June 23, 1971.

He hit .161 in 559 career at-bats but was known as a tremendous fielder. He loved baseball and especially the Phillies.

Mr. Vukovich had a presence in the clubhouse and on the field. His voice carried across the diamond, and he never shied away from sharing his opinion. He had a tough-guy exterior but also had a soft side.

After his playing career, Mr. Vukovich coached with the Chicago Cubs from 1982 to '87. With the Phillies, he coached first base and third base and served as a bench coach. He ran spring training and worked with the team's infielders. Mr. Vukovich worked under six managers, and served as the Phillies' interim manager for the final nine games of the 1988 season.

In 1994, he was a coach for the National League all-star team.

In 2000, he was a coach for the Major League Baseball all-star team in Japan, and in 2004, he won the inaugural Dallas Green Special Achievement Award, presented by the Philadelphia chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America for his distinguished coaching tenure.

When it wasn't baseball season, Mr. Vukovich always seemed to be hunting. He was born July 31, 1947, in Sacramento and played against Larry Bowa in the city's amateur baseball leagues. They became best friends.

Mr. Vukovich is survived by his wife, the former Bonnie Loughran, whom he met at Veterans Stadium; his two children, Nicole Stolarik and Vince; and triplet granddaughters Anna, Lena and Stella Stolarik. He is also survived by two brothers, Rich and Bill, of California.

Funeral arrangements were pending.