The Chatham-Kent Barnstormers have their first ever manager.
The team announced Dan Norman as its field boss on Wednesday morning.
Norman was a Montreal Expos outfielder and has minor league and college experience.
Barnstormers General Manager Harry Muir said he's excited to have Norman as the new manager because he has a lot of baseball experience.
"He really fits into our mold where he's coming in to teach kids. We're really focusing on teaching our ball players and get them on to the next level and Dan is going to be an integral part of that," said Muir. "What I liked about him, he's an old school guy and that's how were running the team, old school. We're going to practice every day, play hard and he's that kind of guy. If you don't put your effort in, you're not going to play and that's what we want. We want 100 per cent effort from everybody and it starts from the top and Dan is going to be very important to that."
Norman played at Barstow College and was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1974 amateur draft.
Norman was traded from the Reds to the New York Mets in 1977, then traded in 1981 to the Montreal Expos.
He played in the minor leagues from 1983 through the 1987 season and ended his professional playing career at the age of 32.
Norman became a coach and was involved with a few Major League organizations, spending time with the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers as a minor league manager, then with the Cleveland Indians as a minor league hitting coach, as well as the Florida Marlins and a minor league affiliate of the San Diego Padres in Arizona.
He was also the manager of the now defunct Trois-Rivieres Saints in the Canadian Baseball League (CBL) and, after the 2003 season, returned to his roots to coach and instruct at Barstow College for several years.
The team said Norman currently lives in Arizona but has always adored Canada and is looking forward to returning and becoming part of the Chatham-Kent community.
“Our team will be comprised of future and former professional players, and I’m excited to bring championship caliber baseball to the region for this new team,” said Norman.
The Barnstormers leadership said it is committed to bringing high quality baseball to Chatham-Kent, as well as affordable family-friendly entertainment with a commitment to community engagement.
“We’re so excited to have Dan with the team. He is a values-based leader, on and off the field, bringing a high level of experience, an impressive work ethic, and a dedication to the fans and community,” said Muir.
The Barnstormers begin play next summer.