Bill Champion (baseball)

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 19691976.

Billy Champion
Champion in 1973
Pitcher
Born: (1947-09-18)September 18, 1947
Shelby, North Carolina
Died: January 7, 2017(2017-01-07) (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 record34–50
Earned run average4.69
Strikeouts360
Teams

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

  1. 1974 Bill Champion Topps baseball card (#391).
  2. "Phillies Obtain Jim Lonborg In 7‐Man Deal With Brewers," United Press International (UPI), Tuesday, October 31, 1972. Retrieved April 13, 2020
  3. Baseball-Reference.com. "Bill Champion". https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Bill_Champion Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  4. Billy Champion dies at age 69


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.