Bill Champion (baseball)

Billy Champion
Billy Champion
	Champion in 1973
	Pitcher
	Born: September 18, 1947; Shelby, North Carolina
	Died: January 7, 2017 (aged 69); Shelby, North Carolina
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
	June 4, 1969, for the Philadelphia Phillies
Last MLB appearance
	June 5, 1976, for the Milwaukee Brewers
MLB statistics
Win–loss record	34–50
Earned run average	4.69
Strikeouts	360
Teams
	Philadelphia Phillies (1969–1972); Milwaukee Brewers (1973–1976);

Buford Billy Champion (September 18, 1947 – January 7, 2017), was an American professional baseball right-handed pitcher, coach, and scout, who played in 202 games in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers, from 1969–1976.

Bill was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 3rd round (58th overall) of the 1965 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Shelby High School in Shelby, NC.

Before his big league debut, in 1969, Champion was already a two-time Minor League Baseball (MiLB) earned run average (ERA) league leader: Huron Phillies, Northern League (1965); and Tidewater Tides, Carolina League (1968).[1] He was traded along with Don Money and John Vukovich by the Phillies to the Brewers for Jim Lonborg, Ken Brett, Ken Sanders and Earl Stephenson on October 31, 1972.[2]

Champion went on to become a scout for the Chicago Cubs and pitching coach for the Greenville Braves.[3]

Champion died on January 7, 2017, in Shelby, North Carolina, at the age of 69.[4]

References

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