Rhode Island Baseball Great Davey Lopes Dies at 80, 4-Time All-Star

Rhode Island Baseball Great Davey Lopes Dies at 80, 4-Time All-Star

Davey Lopes, a Major League Baseball second baseman and coach who was born in East Providence and raised in Providence, has died at the age of 80.

David Earl Lopes was born on May 3, 1945, in East Providence, Rhode Island, and grew up in a large family that later lived in South Providence. 

Lopes attended La Salle Academy in Providence, where he played both baseball and basketball. 

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After high school, he continued his education and athletics at Iowa Wesleyan and later at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas.

The Los Angeles Dodgers selected Lopes in the 1968 draft, and the organization moved him to second base in the minor leagues. He made his Major League debut with the Dodgers in 1972.

Lopes played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, and Houston Astros. He appeared in four All-Star Games, won a Gold Glove Award at second base in 1978, and stole 557 bases in his career. 

In 1975, he set a Major League record at the time by stealing 38 consecutive bases without being caught.

After his playing career ended in 1987, Lopes worked in Major League Baseball as a manager and coach. He managed the Milwaukee Brewers and later served on the coaching staffs of several teams, including the San Diego Padres, Washington Nationals, Philadelphia Phillies, and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Lopes maintained ties to Rhode Island throughout his life, and a recreation center in Providence carries his name.

Funeral and memorial arrangements will be announced by the family.