By 1946, after three seasons in the military during World War II, he had become a playing manager for the Lawrence Millionaires of the Class B New England League.

His most successful season as a manager came in 1950 with the Class B Winston-Salem Cardinals, who won 106 of 153 regular-season games and the Carolina League playoff championship.

[2] He mentored a number of major league managers, including Sparky Anderson, Joe Torre, and Tony LaRussa.

[3] Kissell received numerous honors for his work in baseball, including induction into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.

[4] Said former Cardinal manager Whitey Herzog in 2005, “He is one of those baseball lifers that loves to talk baseball ... George Kissell is the only man I know who can talk for 15 minutes about a ground ball.”[5] At the age of 88, Kissell died after sustaining injuries in a car accident in Pinellas Park, Florida, in 2008.