1931

Bill McWilliams was born in Dubuque, Iowa on November 28, 1910. He attended De Paul Academy and then spent a year and a half at the University of Iowa, but also played ball on the sandlots of Chicago.

He signed with the Boston Red Sox straight out of college, in the summer of 1931 and made his debut in the second game of a July doubleheader at Yankee Stadium. He appeared twice during the season, as a pinch hitter, and made two outs.

In 1932 he was with the Class-A Western League’s Tulsa Oilers, affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Then he appeared in 21 games for the Three-I League’s Decatur Commodores (affiliated with the Detroit Tigers), and appeared in one Double-A game, for the St. Paul Saints, with one hitless at-bat.

In 1933, he was with the Middle Atlantic League’s Springfield (Ohio) Chicks, and also appeared in an even 50 games for the Class-A Williamsport Grays, a Philadelphia Athletics affiliate.

In 1934, he spent the first of three seasons with the St. Paul Saints again. In the fall of 1934, he played for the NFL’s Detroit Lions.  He was a wideback on the team, and played in five games. He didn’t play football in 1935, but in November 1936, signed with the Chicago Cardinals and was described at the time as one of the best kickers in football. Bill didn’t appear in any other NFL games, but he did return to St. Paul and played in 1935 and 1936.

In 1937, he played for three teams in one season: Dallas, the White Sox affiliate in the Texas League, Memphis, and the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League.

1938 saw him on the move again, with Williamsport once more, the Hollywood Stars, and Baltimore in the International League. In 1939, he was in the Brooklyn Dodgers system, playing the full year for Elmira. He played most of 1940 in Springfield, Mass, in the Eastern League.

Bill began the 1941 season as playing manager for Dayton, but for only part of the season, and also then played for Durham and Springfield again. That was his last season in organized baseball and he was a well-traveled ballplayer by the time it was all over.

After his professional career was over, Bill McWilliams ultimately found himself in charge of the Chicago sandlot leagues. He lived in Chicago for 35 years and retired as playground director for the City of Chicago Park District. He passed away on January 21, 1997, at age 86, in Garland, Texas.