Former MLB manager Joe Girardi declines UCF baseball job offer: report

Joe Girardi, the former manager for the New York Yankees, Marlins and the Philadelphia Phillies, was offered the job to become UCF‘s next baseball coach but declined to accept it, according to MLB.com.

Less than two hours after news broke Thursday afternoon that Girardi was offered by the Knights, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported that Girardi ultimately decided to not take the job.

A World Series champion as a player and manager, Girardi most recently served as the manager of the Phillies for three years but was fired last summer after the team started the season 22-29.

Girardi met with UCF officials on campus Wednesday, Brandon Helwig of UCFSports.com reported.

The job offer to Girardi came nearly two weeks after UCF athletics Terry Mohajir dismissed Greg Lovelady, who coached the Knights for seven seasons but only made one postseason appearance.

Girardi isn’t the only coach interested in the job opening. Two current college head coaches — Campbell’s Justin Haire and Maryland’s Rob Vaughn — as well as one college assistant — FSU’s Rich Wallace — are also options for UCF, according to D1Baseball.com managing editor Kendall Rogers.

Prior to his time in Philadelphia, Girardi was the manager of the New York Yankees for a decade (2008-17) and lead the organization to its last World Series championship in 2009.

Although an accomplished MLB player and manager, Girardi has no experience as a college head coach. In 14 seasons as a major league manager for the Marlins, Yankees and Phillies, Girardi posted a 1,120-935 record.

It was with the Yankees as a catcher that Girardi won three titles in 1996, ‘98 and ‘99 after he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs and spent time with the Colorado Rockies before being traded to New York. After retiring in 2003 following a return to Chicago and one season with the St. Louis Cardinals, Girardi spent time in the broadcast booth before joining the Yankees as a bench coach for the 2005 season.

The next year Girardi became the manager of the then-Florida Marlins. Although he was named National League Manager of the Year in ‘06, Girardi was dismissed by the Marlins after the organization said he was not a good fit.

Following the ‘07 season, Girardi reunited with the Yankees this time as the club’s manager. In Girardi’s second season, New York won the World Series but by the end of his 10th, he was fired.

Three years after the Yankees cut Girardi loose, he was named the manager of the Phillies and spent three seasons in Philadelphia before returning to the broadcast booth as a Cubs game analyst for Marquee Sports.

As Girardi reportedly tells the Knights no, the search for UCF’s next baseball coach continues on.

Email Jason Beede at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @therealBeede.