Loftus' playing career began in 1877 with the
St. Louis Brown Stockings of the
National League, but he only played in nine career games, in 1877 and 1883, as an
outfielder. Loftus' first managerial job came in 1884 with the minor-league
Milwaukee Brewers. That team also played 12 games as a replacement team in the short-lived
Union Association, compiling an 8–4 record. Loftus returned to manage the minor-league Brewers in 1885, until their league folded mid-season. Loftus later took over as manager of the
Cleveland Spiders, then known as the Blues, partway through the 1888 season after
Jimmy Williams resigned. In 1890, Loftus was hired to manage the
Cincinnati Reds, who had recently made the jump from the American Association to the National League. For much of the 1890s, Loftus managed teams in the Western League, most notably for Columbus and Grand Rapids. In 1900 he returned to the National League to manage the
Chicago Orphans for two seasons and then the
Washington Senators of the American League for two seasons. In each of his managerial stops, Loftus had part ownership of the team. He died in
Dubuque, Iowa, at the age of 53. ==References==