The Norfolk Tides join the baseball community in mourning the passing of longtime manager Ron Johnson, who passed away today due to complications from COVID-19.
“Our entire organization is devastated by this news” said Tides General Manager Joe Gregory. “RJ was a fantastic manager who always got so much out of his players, but he was an even better person behind the scenes. His personality and love of the game made him one of baseball’s outstanding people, and he’ll truly be missed.”
Johnson, 64, was the winningest manager in franchise history. He skippered the Tides from 2012-2018, amassing 491 victories over his seven seasons – the longest tenure of any Tides manager. He was also named the International League Manager of the Year after leading Norfolk to a division title in 2015. He registered 1,752 wins over 24 seasons as a minor league manager.
Johnson and his wife Daphne have five children – Savannah, Christopher, Christian, Cheyanne and Bridget. Ron managed his son, Chris, with the Tides during the 2017 season.
