July 2, 2000; Sept. 1, 2006 – A native of Peoria, Illinois, Joe Girardi was a three-time Academic All-American at Northwestern University and two-time All-Big Ten selection as a catcher. Following his graduation in 1986 with a degree in industrial engineering, the Chicago Cubs selected him in the fifth round of the draft. He went on to a 15-year career with the Cubs, Rockies, Yankees, and Cardinals, won three World Series rings with the Yankees in 1996, ‘98, and ‘99, and was an All-Star in 2000. On July 18, 1999, in his final season with the Yankees, he caught David Cone’s perfect game against the Montreal Expos at Yankee Stadium.

Following his retirement as a player, Girardi worked as a television commentator and as the Yankees bench coach before being hired to manage the Florida Marlins in 2006. He was selected as the NL Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America after leading the team to a surprising 78–84 record, becoming only the third rookie manager to win the award. Nevertheless, he was fired after the season because of disagreements with ownership. Then, when he succeeded Joe Torre as manager of the Yankees in 2008, he requested uniform number 27, symbolic of his goal to lead the team to its twenty-seventh World Series title. He achieved that goal in 2009, followed by three consecutive postseason appearances. In his ten years managing the Yankees the team posted a record of 910-710, a .562 winning percentage. In 2020 he became manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. Both as a player and manager, Girardi applied the same discipline and work ethic that enabled him to earn an engineering degree and excel in baseball at Northwestern.