(Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports)

Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland announced Monday morning that he will not be returning to the team in 2014, stepping down after 1,769 wins in a 22-year managerial career.

The 68-year-old, who managed the Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies and won a World Series with the Florida Marlins before his eight seasons with the Tigers, was a gruff, no-nonsense leader who outfielder Torii Hunter described as follows.

“This old man is the funniest guy. He has that cigarette, man, I tell you, he’s like an old school pimp,” Hunter, who joined the Tigers in 2013, told the MLB Network in August.  “He has the coolest cigarette smoke ever. I gotta say Leyland, man, is probably one of my favorite managers of all time.”

Leyland’s popularity certainly extends beyond his own clubhouse. The staff at For The Win came up with eight reasons the skipper remains one of our favorite managers as well.

He was never afraid to tell his players or fans exactly how he felt.

No matter how big of a superstar they were. (Warning: VERY EXPLICIT LANGUAGE)

He was patriotic enough to wait through “God Bless America” before resuming an argument with an umpire.

But he wasn’t above  being a dugout prankster.

Or doing the moonwalk.

His reactions to bad baserunning…..

Umpires…….

And most importantly……winning.

(Eric Draper/AP)