Joseph Elliott Girardi (born October 14, 1964) is an American former professional baseball catcher and manager. Girardi played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, the Colorado Rockies, the New York Yankees and the St. Louis Cardinals. Girardi won three World Series Championships as a player, all with the Yankees. In 2006, he managed the Florida Marlins and was named the National League Manager of the Year. Girardi managed the Yankees from 2008 to 2017, winning the 2009 World Series.
Girardi, the fourth son of Jerry, a former blue collar worker and United States Air Force veteran, and Angela Girardi, was born in Peoria, Illinois and grew up in East Peoria, Illinois. He attended East Peoria's Neil Armstrong grade school; and Peoria's Sacred Heart/Father Sweeney, where he was coached in basketball by his father. He then attended Academy of Our Lady/Spalding Institute in Peoria, Illinois, where he played quarterback for the football team and catcher for the baseball team.