He told Neil Holfeld of the Houston Chronicle in a May 17, 1985, story that, "the beards make us stand out from the clean cut Dale Murphy types.

After his retirement as a player in 1992, Oberkfell embarked on a successful managerial career that saw him named Minor League Manager of the Year by Baseball America in 2005.

He also served as the manager of the New Orleans Zephyrs from January 4, 2007, until June 17, 2008, when he was promoted to the Mets as their first base coach, replacing Tom Nieto.

[1] On January 28, 2010, Oberkfell led the Leones del Escogido to their 13th championship in the Dominican Baseball Winter League as their manager.

Oberkfell managed the Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Republic to the Caribbean Series championship title in 2010 and 2012.