CHICAGO - Former University of New Orleans baseball player Mike
Quade will make his debut as manager of the Chicago Cubs on Monday night
in Washington D.C. against the Nationals, the Cubs organization
announced on Sunday.
Quade becomes the first former Privateer to become a manager at the
Major League level, replacing Lou Piniella, who announced on Sunday that
he would be stepping down to care for his mother. A native of Evanston,
Ill., Quade was in the midst of his fourth season as the third
base/outfield coach for the Cubs and will serve as interim manager
through the end of the 2010 season.
An outfielder for legendary
UNO head coach Ron Maestri from 1976-79, Quade arrived on the Lakefront
after graduating from Prospect High School in Mt. Prospect, Ill.
Quade's best season was his last, as he hit .396 and broke the school's single-season record with 74 singles.
A
two-time All-SBC selection, Quade earned SBC Tournament MVP honors in
1979 on a team that included current LSU head coach Paul Maineri and
reached the school's second NCAA Division I tournament.
Alongside
current Cubs pitcher Thomas Diamond, Quade was one of two Privateers
named to the Sun Belt Conference's All-Time team that was announced in
2006. Diamond joined Quade on the major league roster after being
elevated from the Triple A Iowa Cubs earlier this month.
After his UNO
career, Quade was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 22nd round
of the 1979 First-Year Player Draft. Quade played five years in the
Pirates' minor league system before beginning a career as a coach.
In
19 years in the minor leagues, Quade served as a manager for 17
seasons, compiling a 1,213-1,165 record. The highlights of his managing
career include a 1999 Triple A World Series title with the Vancouver
Canadians.
UNOPrivateers.com is the official web site of the
University of New Orleans Privateers. The Privateers can also be
followed on their official Facebook page, www.facebook.com/UNOPrivateers or on Twitter, www.twitter.com/UNOPrivateers.
