In his 16-year Major League career, he managed the Boston Beaneaters (1890–1901) and Chicago Orphans / Cubs (1902–1905),[1] winning 1,284 games.

[2] He was described as a "balding little man with a modest demeanor and a formidable mustache that gave his face a melancholy cast",[3] and was shy and reticent in public.

His only experiences playing professional baseball were brief roster appearances with minor league teams in Waltham and Lawrence, Massachusetts, in 1884.

In Selee's first season, he signed Kid Nichols to a major league contrac and the Beaneaters finished with a 76–57–1 record, 12 games behind the Brooklyn Bridegrooms.

The following year the team (in their first season referred to as "Cubs" in print) improved to an 82–56–1 record, finishing in 3rd place, eight games behind the pennant-winning Pirates.

[7] The last Cubs' championship under Chance was in 1910;[7] eight of the top thirteen players from the 1905 squad were major contributors on that 1910 club.

[citation needed] In 1909, Selee died of consumption (tuberculosis) at the age of 49 in Denver, Colorado,[1] and was interred at Wyoming Cemetery in Melrose, Massachusetts.

[3] Selee was noted for his ability to assess and hire talented players, which helped earn him five NL titles with the Beaneaters.

He repeated the feat in Chicago, where he built the basis for the Cubs' later success by signing and developing the talents of Frank Chance, Joe Tinker, and Johnny Evers, among others.

Baseball historian David Nemec wrote that Selee had "a flair for bending players acquired from here, there and everywhere.

[8] According to his bio at the Hall of Fame, "Contrary to the rough tactics of rival clubs like the Baltimore Orioles, Selee encouraged his players to play a more civilized style.

His teams surpassed brawnier opponents by hitting behind runners, employing the bunt and utilizing the double steal.