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Claudio Ranieri
 

On Thursday, Leicester City F.C. sent shockwaves through Europe by sacking manager Claudio Ranieri. The previous year, Ranieri led the Foxes on a Cinderella run to the top of the Premier League table. But struggles in 2016-17, which left Leicester City just one point above the relegation zone with 13 matches remaining, was enough for management to ax the 2016 Best FIFA Men's Coach winner.
 
Don't fret, Claudio. You're not the first championship coach to get fired or pushed out after winning a championship. This has happened in the U.S. a bunch of times. We'll show you.
 
Spoiler: George Steinbrenner's blood is all over this list.

Dick Williams, Oakland Athletics (1973)

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images Dick Williams, Oakland Athletics (1973)

Williams took over the A's in 1971, with the franchise looking for its first World Series title since 1930. Williams won the Athletics' first A.L. West title in 1971 and proceeded to win the World Series in 1972 and 1973. Upset with owner Charlie Finley's treatment of players, Williams resigned after the World Series and George Steinbrenner prepared to sign Williams as Yankees' manager. Finley argued Williams still had two years of his contract with Oakland and sued Williams. Finley won, but he permitted Williams to negotiate with any team except the Yankees. The A's replaced Williams with Alvin Dark, who led the team to a third straight World Series title in 1974. Williams landed a job with the Angels during the middle of the 1974 season and lost his first ten games. He never won another World Series as a manager.

Billy Martin, New York Yankees (1978)

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images Billy Martin, New York Yankees (1978)

Martin managed the Yankees on five separate occasions and had a long-documented on-and-off relationship with owner George Steinbrenner. But perhaps the duo's most notable breakup came in 1978. One year after winning the World Series, Martin and Reggie Jackson got into a fight over Jackson disregarding a sign. Jackson got a five-game suspension, but told reporters when he returned that he did not know why he was suspended. After a July 23 win in Chicago, Martin lashed out at Jackson and Steinbrenner, saying, "They deserve each other. One's a born liar and the other's convicted." Martin resigned the following day. In his autobiography, Martin claimed Steinbrenner had sent team president Al Rosen to fire him, but resigned before Rosen could track him down.

Bob Lemon, New York Yankees (1979)

Via Twitter Bob Lemon, New York Yankees (1979)

Lemon took over the Bronx Zoo from Martin in 1978. The Yankees were famously behind the Red Sox by 14 1/2 games at one point in July, but Lemon turned the club around, peaking during the Yanks' four-game "Boston Massacre" sweep at Fenway Park in September. The Yankees and Red Sox finished the season tied for the AL East lead and played a one-game playoff in Boston, where Bucky Dent hit his historic go-ahead home run in the seventh inning. Lemon, who was fired by the White Sox in June, won the World Series and won the AP AL Manager of the Year Award, working less than half a season. But in prime Steinbrenner form, with the Yankees at 34-31 in June 1979, the Boss fired Lemon as manager, moving him to the front office. Of course, Lemon was replaced with Billy Martin (who was fired after the season). Lemon managed the Yankees again from 1981-1982.

Jimmy Johnson, Dallas Cowboys (1994)

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images Jimmy Johnson, Dallas Cowboys (1994)

Johnson won the Super Bowl with the Cowboys in 1992 and 1993, but not without criticism from owner Jerry Jones, his old Arkansas teammate. Jones allegedly wanted to take over football decisions from Johnson, who refused to give in. Jones went as far as to say there were, "500 coaches who could have won the Super Bowl" with the Cowboys' stellar 90s roster. Jones and Johnson agreed to part ways in spring 1994. New coach Barry Switzer lost the NFC Championship Game the following season, but the Cowboys regained their footing in 1995 to win their third title in four years.

Mike Keenan, New York Rangers (1994)

B Bennett Mike Keenan, New York Rangers (1994)

Keenan was hired in 1993 with the tall task of building a championship team out of a franchise that had missed the playoffs the previous and had not won a Stanley Cup since 1940. Keenan proceed to win the Presidents' Trophy with 112 points, and the Rangers won the Stanley Cup in seven games. But the coach shocked the club 30 days later, when he declared himself a free agent because the Rangers had missed a bonus payment. An offended Keenan claimed the Rangers had breached their contract, and Keenan began negotiating with the Red Wings and Blues. He announced that he had signed a five-year contract with the Blues. The Rangers filed suit to force Keenan to abide by his five-year contract at Madison Square Garden, but eventually, they agreed to part ways.

Claudio Ranieri, Leicester City (2017)

Clive Rose/Getty Images Claudio Ranieri Leicester City (2017)

Ranieri took over Leicester City in 2015 with the club in its second season in the Premier League since returning for the first time since 2004. Dating back to the Premier League's founding in 1992, Leicester City had never finished better than eighth place. But Ranieri had the Foxes flying out of the gate, reaching Christmas with 11 wins, five draws and one loss, good for first place in the league. Leicester City's run became a global fairy tale, as the club help off English giants Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Manchester United to finish atop England's top division for the firs time in its 32-year history. Ranieri won virtually every English and European Manager of the Season/Year Award, and he was granted Grant Officer of the Italian Order of Merit in his home country. But the honeymoon ended this past Thursday. Leicester City announced it would part ways with Ranieri with Leicester City just one point above the relegation zone and 13 games left in the Premier League season. Leicester City is also currently in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, trailing Sevilla 2-1 through one leg.

Alex Hannum, St. Louis Hawks (1958)

Via eBay Alex Hannum, St. Louis Hawks (1958)

In 1956-57, during the second half of his final NBA season on the court, Hannum was named player-coach of the Hawks. The following season, he took on coaching as his sole job and led the franchise to its only NBA championship. But Hannum, who had his own offseason construction company and lived back in the Southern California, feuded with owner Ben Kerner, despite the title. Kerner went through 16 coaches in 16 years from 1950-1966, with Hannum being one, stepping away before the start of the 1958-59 season. Hannum coached five other NBA franchises and one ABA team, winning an NBA title with the 76ers and an ABA title with the Oakland Oaks. Hannum, Pat Riley and Phil Jackson are the only NBA coaches to win a title with two different teams.

Al MacNeil, Montreal Canadiens (1971)

Via Wikimedia Commons Al MacNeil, Montreal Canadiens (1971)

The Canadiens fell into Al MacNeil's lap. The journeyman defenseman served as player-coach for the AHL's Montreal Voyaguers, the Canadiens' top minor league affiliate, in 1969-70 before being moved to an assistant coaching job with the NHL club in 1970-71. With head coach Claude Ruel resigning 25 games into the season, MacNeil took over the club, in danger of missing the playoffs for a second straight year. But MacNeil rallied the team to the playoffs and to the Stanley Cup Final, on the back of rookie goaltender Ken Dryden, who had only played six regular-season games. The Canadiens won the Stanley Cup in seven games, but a feud between MacNeil and star forward Henri Richard was deemed too unhealthy. MacNeil was sent back to the AHL affiliate, now the Nova Scotia Voyageurs, where he won three Calder Cup titles in six seasons. He later served as head coach for the Flames on two separate occasions. Meanwhile, the Canadiens hired Scotty Bowman for the 1971-72 season. Bowman won five Stanley Cups in eight seasons in Montreal.



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