Robert Linwood Wilkins was a shortstop

Shortstop

Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...

 in Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 who played from through for the Philadelphia Athletics

Oakland Athletics

The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....

. Listed at 5' 9", 165 lb., Wilkins batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Denton, North Carolina

Denton, North Carolina

Denton is a town in Davidson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,450 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Denton is located at .The highest elevation In Davidson county...

.

Wilkins attended Catawba College

Catawba College

Catawba College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in Salisbury, North Carolina, USA. Founded in 1851 by the North Carolina Classis of the Reformed Church in Newton, the college adopted its name from its county of origin, Catawba County, before moving to its current home of Salisbury...

, where he played in the baseball squad along with Vern Benson

Vern Benson

Vernon Adair Benson is a retired infielder/outfielder, coach, scout and interim manager in American Major League Baseball. During his playing career, he stood 5'11" tall, weighed 180 pounds , batted left-handed, and threw right-handed.Benson attended Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina...

 and Ray Poole

Ray Poole

Ray Smith Poole was an American offensive and defensive end in the National Football League who played for the New York Giants from 1947 to 1952. Born in Gloster, Mississippi, he graduated from Crosby High School in Crosby, Mississippi, then attended the University of North Carolina before...

. He entered the majors in 1944 with the Athletics, playing for them in part of two seasons as the primarily backup to incumbent shortstop Ed Busch

Ed Busch

Edgar John Busch was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball between the and seasons. Listed at 5' 10", 175 lb., Busch batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Lebanon, Illinois....

.

In a two-season career, Wilkins was a .257 hitter (46-for-179) in 86 games, including 29 runs

Run (baseball)

In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...

, six doubles

Double (baseball)

In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....

, seven RBI

Run batted in

Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...

, two stolen base

Stolen base

In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...

s, and a .304 on-base percentage.

After that, Wilkins attended Duke University

Duke University

Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...

 in Durham, North Carolina

Durham, North Carolina

Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...

 and graduated from FBI Academy

FBI Academy

The FBI Academy, located in Quantico, Virginia, is the training site for new Special Agents of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was first opened for use in 1972 on 385 acres of woodland. It is a relatively small government academy, housing three dormitory buildings and...

 in Quantico, Virginia

Quantico, Virginia

- Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there are 561 people, 295 households, and 107 families living in the town. The population density is . There are 359 housing units at an average density of .-Racial composition:...

.

A resident of Shreveport, Louisiana

Shreveport, Louisiana

Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....

 for 60 years, Wilkins also played Minor league baseball

Minor league baseball

Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...

 for eleven seasons, four of them with the Shreveport Sports of the Texas League

Texas League

The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...

, where he set league records of 159 most consecutive chances

Total chances

In baseball statistics, total chances , also called chances offered, represents the number of plays in which a defensive player has participated. It is calculated as follows: Total Chances = assists + putouts + errors. Chances accepted refers to the total of putouts and assists only. Fielding...

 without committing an error

Error (baseball)

In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...

 (1949), and for the most double play

Double play

In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....

s (71) started in a season (1951). He posted a .249 career average in 1017 games.

Following his baseball career, Wilkins worked as Chief of Identification for the Caddo Sheriff's Department, and was elected president of the Louisiana Division, Inc., International Association for Identification. After retiring he taught and coached in local high schools.

Wilkins died at the age of 87 following a lengthy illness, and is interred at Greenwood Cemetery in Shreveport.

Sources

• Shreveport Times Obituary

External links