Frank Colman
Encyclopedia
Frank Lloyd Colman was a Major League Baseball
player who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates
and New York Yankees
.
The son of Frederick and Harriet Colman who operated a shoe store on Hamilton Road in London, Colman joined the London Majors
of the senior Intercounty Baseball League
in the mid-1930s (winning the batting title as a pitcher, Most Valuable Player
award and a championship in 1936), the Pittsburgh Pirates
as a first-baseman-outfielder from 1942 to 1946 and the New York Yankees
as an outfielder in 1946 and 1947, where he roomed with the young Yankee catcher Yogi Berra
.
Colman batted and threw left, was six-feet tall and weighed 188 pounds. His debut in Major League Baseball
was on September 12, 1942, and his final game in the big leagues was on August 3, 1947.
included Joe DiMaggio
, Phil Rizzuto
, Allie Reynolds
, Johnny Lindell
, Charlie Keller
, Tommy Henrich
, Ralph Houk
and Joe Page
.
Colman and Yogi Berra were teammates with the minor-league Newark, New York
, Bears in 1946 and both were called up to the Yankees.
In 1947, Colman opened the season as the starting right fielder with the Yankees but suffered a leg injury and underwent season-ending surgery. That would be his last season in the big leagues, although Colman did play two more seasons in 1949 and 1950 in the Pacific Coast League
with Seattle where he batted .319 with 18 HRs and 98 RBIs in 1949 and batted .310 in 1950.
What had to be disappointing for Colman was being a non-roster player for the Yankees when they defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers in seven games for the 1947 World Series
championship.
Nevertheless, Colman was part of the World Series scene. The only other Londoner to experience the World Series was the outstanding Iron Man
catcher George Gibson in 1909 when Gibson's Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Detroit Tigers
starring Ty Cobb
in the best-of-nine final series, five games to two.
Nineteen-forty-seven was a benchmark for Major League Baseball if there ever was one. Brooklyn Dodgers manager Leo Durocher
was suspended for the year even before the season opened for "conduct detrimental to baseball". The doors were finally opened to the black athlete as an infielder by the name of Jackie Robinson
was plucked from the Montreal Royals
to lead the Brooklyn Dodgers into one of the most memorable World Series of all time.
Colman finished his six-year major league career with 571 at-bats, 15 home runs and 106 RBIs in 271 games for a career average of .228.
from 1951 through 1953, a team owned by Canadian sporting legend Jack Kent Cooke
.
Colman signed on as playing manager for London Majors' owner and general manager Clare Van Horne in 1954. (Years later, Van Horne would subsequently leave London facing a paternity suit, move to California and be convicted of murdering his girlfriend with a hammer).
That same year, Alex Park of Alex Park Sporting Goods Ltd. at 300 Dundas Street, hired Colman as an in-store salesman. The sporting goods store was the meeting place for a number of Londoners interested in forming a baseball league for youths.
, where it all began for Colman 20 years earlier. Colman's brother Jack (who died in 1962), helped coach the 1955 London Majors.
"The sale of the Majors baseball club to Colman is one of the best things to happen to baseball in many years," wrote London Free Press
sports editor Jack Park in his "Sport Sparks" column at the time.
As player-owner Colman's London Majors won the Intercounty title in 1956. The team also won the Great Lakes championship in 1957. Colman returned the Majors to the Intercounty loop in 1958, organizing an exhibition ballgame in June 1958 in conjunction with the Knights of Columbus
and the Mocha Temple Shrine in aid of the Shrine Hospitals for Crippled Children. The ballgame between the Toronto Maple Leafs of the AAA International League
and an all-star team put together by Colman attracted 5,000 fans to Labatt Park. In 1959, Colman sold the London Majors.
(EBBA) with sportsman Gordon Berryhill and that organization renamed its all-star day -- "Frank Colman Day" -- in 1984. The EBBA is still going strong 51 years later, having mentored thousands of young ballplayers.
Before Frank Colman died of cancer in 1983 at the age of 65, he had been working at the University of Western Ontario
in the maintenance department.
Sixteen years later in 1999, Frank Colman was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
. In a letter to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999, Yogi Berra wrote that he visited Colman at his home in Canada on several occasions.
"I've made a lot of friends in baseball through the years, but I'll always remember Frank as one of the most decent and genuine people that I ever met," Berra wrote. "I was proud that he was my friend."
His son, Frank Colman Jr., accepted the Hall of Fame plaque at the ceremony in St. Marys, Ontario
with a large contingent of Colmans on hand.
"If he were here, I think he would say his greatest accomplishment has been his contribution to the community through the work with the Eager Beaver Baseball Association," his son said. "That was his real pride and joy. He really loved that kind of work."
In 2005, Colman was also inducted into the London Sports Hall of Fame at the John Labatt Centre
.
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...
player who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
and New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
.
The son of Frederick and Harriet Colman who operated a shoe store on Hamilton Road in London, Colman joined the London Majors
London Majors
The London Majors are an independent, minor league baseball team of the, semi-pro, Intercounty Baseball League. The team was founded in 1925, and is based in London, Ontario...
of the senior Intercounty Baseball League
Intercounty Baseball League
The Intercounty Baseball League is a semi-professional baseball organization located in the Canadian province of Ontario. The league was formed in 1919....
in the mid-1930s (winning the batting title as a pitcher, Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
award and a championship in 1936), the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
as a first-baseman-outfielder from 1942 to 1946 and the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
as an outfielder in 1946 and 1947, where he roomed with the young Yankee catcher Yogi Berra
Yogi Berra
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
.
Colman batted and threw left, was six-feet tall and weighed 188 pounds. His debut 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...
was on September 12, 1942, and his final game in the big leagues was on August 3, 1947.
With the 1947 Yankees
In addition to Berra, Colman's teammates on the legendary 1947 Yankees1947 New York Yankees season
The New York Yankees season was the team's 45th season in New York, and its 47th season overall. The team finished with a record of 97-57, winning their 15th pennant, finishing 12 games ahead of the Detroit Tigers. New York was managed by Bucky Harris. The Yankees played their home games at Yankee...
included Joe DiMaggio
Joe DiMaggio
Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio , nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper," was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak , a record that still stands...
, Phil Rizzuto
Phil Rizzuto
Philip Francis Rizzuto , nicknamed "The Scooter", was an American Major League Baseball shortstop. He spent his entire 13-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
, Allie Reynolds
Allie Reynolds
Allie Pierce Reynolds was a pitcher in Major League Baseball.-Biography:...
, Johnny Lindell
Johnny Lindell
John Harlan Lindell was an American professional baseball player. He played as an outfielder and pitcher in the Major League Baseball from to and from to . Lindell played for the New York Yankees, St...
, Charlie Keller
Charlie Keller
Charles Ernest "Charlie" Keller was a left fielder in Major League Baseball. From 1939 through 1952, Keller played for the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers...
, Tommy Henrich
Tommy Henrich
Thomas David "Tommy" Henrich , nicknamed "The Clutch" and "Old Reliable", was a Major League Baseball right fielder. He played his entire baseball career for the New York Yankees . He led the American League in triples twice and in runs scored once, also hitting 20 or more home runs four times...
, Ralph Houk
Ralph Houk
Ralph George Houk , nicknamed The Major, was an American catcher, coach, manager, and front office executive in Major League Baseball...
and Joe Page
Joe Page
Joseph Francis Page , nicknamed Fireman and The Gay Reliever, was a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. Page, who was left-handed, played with the New York Yankees from to and with the Pittsburgh Pirates in .-Professional career:Page was signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free...
.
Colman and Yogi Berra were teammates with the minor-league Newark, New York
Newark, New York
Newark is a village in Wayne County, New York, U.S., south east of Rochester. The population was 9,682 at the 2000 census.The Village of Newark is in the south part of the Town of Arcadia and is in the south of Wayne County.- History :...
, Bears in 1946 and both were called up to the Yankees.
In 1947, Colman opened the season as the starting right fielder with the Yankees but suffered a leg injury and underwent season-ending surgery. That would be his last season in the big leagues, although Colman did play two more seasons in 1949 and 1950 in the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
with Seattle where he batted .319 with 18 HRs and 98 RBIs in 1949 and batted .310 in 1950.
What had to be disappointing for Colman was being a non-roster player for the Yankees when they defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers in seven games for the 1947 World Series
1947 World Series
The 1947 World Series matched the New York Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers, with the Yankees winning the Series in seven games for their first title since , and the eleventh championship in team history...
championship.
Nevertheless, Colman was part of the World Series scene. The only other Londoner to experience the World Series was the outstanding Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
catcher George Gibson in 1909 when Gibson's Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
starring Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...
in the best-of-nine final series, five games to two.
Nineteen-forty-seven was a benchmark for Major League Baseball if there ever was one. Brooklyn Dodgers manager Leo Durocher
Leo Durocher
Leo Ernest Durocher , nicknamed Leo the Lip, was an American infielder and manager in Major League Baseball. Upon his retirement, he ranked fifth all-time among managers with 2,009 career victories, second only to John McGraw in National League history. Durocher still ranks tenth in career wins by...
was suspended for the year even before the season opened for "conduct detrimental to baseball". The doors were finally opened to the black athlete as an infielder by the name of Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
was plucked from the Montreal Royals
Montreal Royals
The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec, that existed from 1897–1917 and from 1928–60 as a member of the International League and its progenitor, the original Eastern League...
to lead the Brooklyn Dodgers into one of the most memorable World Series of all time.
Colman finished his six-year major league career with 571 at-bats, 15 home runs and 106 RBIs in 271 games for a career average of .228.
Colman returns to his hometown
Colman returned to his hometown of London in 1954 after serving as a player-coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the AAA International LeagueInternational League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
from 1951 through 1953, a team owned by Canadian sporting legend Jack Kent Cooke
Jack Kent Cooke
Jack Kent Cooke was a Canadian entrepreneur and former owner of the Washington Redskins , the Los Angeles Lakers , and the Los Angeles Kings , and built The Forum in Inglewood, California and FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.-Early career:Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Cooke moved with his family to...
.
Colman signed on as playing manager for London Majors' owner and general manager Clare Van Horne in 1954. (Years later, Van Horne would subsequently leave London facing a paternity suit, move to California and be convicted of murdering his girlfriend with a hammer).
That same year, Alex Park of Alex Park Sporting Goods Ltd. at 300 Dundas Street, hired Colman as an in-store salesman. The sporting goods store was the meeting place for a number of Londoners interested in forming a baseball league for youths.
Purchases the London Majors
The following year in 1955, Frank Colman took over the Intercounty League's London Majors at Labatt ParkLabatt Park
Labatt Memorial Park is a baseball stadium near the forks of the Thames River in central London, Ontario, Canada. It is in size, has 5,200 seats and a natural grass field...
, where it all began for Colman 20 years earlier. Colman's brother Jack (who died in 1962), helped coach the 1955 London Majors.
"The sale of the Majors baseball club to Colman is one of the best things to happen to baseball in many years," wrote London Free Press
London Free Press
The London Free Press is a daily newspaper based in London, Ontario, Canada.The London Free Press began as the Canadian Free Press, founded by William Sutherland in 1847. It first began printing as a weekly newspaper in 1849. In 1852, it was purchased for $500 by Josiah Blackburn, who renamed it...
sports editor Jack Park in his "Sport Sparks" column at the time.
As player-owner Colman's London Majors won the Intercounty title in 1956. The team also won the Great Lakes championship in 1957. Colman returned the Majors to the Intercounty loop in 1958, organizing an exhibition ballgame in June 1958 in conjunction with the Knights of Columbus
Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus....
and the Mocha Temple Shrine in aid of the Shrine Hospitals for Crippled Children. The ballgame between the Toronto Maple Leafs of the AAA International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
and an all-star team put together by Colman attracted 5,000 fans to Labatt Park. In 1959, Colman sold the London Majors.
Colman, co-founder of the Eager Beaver Baseball Association
In 1955, Colman co-founded the Eager Beaver Baseball AssociationEager Beaver Baseball Association
Eager Beaver Baseball Association, Inc. is a baseball league for youths in London, Ontario, Canada, that was first organized in 1955 by former Major League Baseball player Frank Colman, London sportsman Gordon Berryhill and Al Marshall....
(EBBA) with sportsman Gordon Berryhill and that organization renamed its all-star day -- "Frank Colman Day" -- in 1984. The EBBA is still going strong 51 years later, having mentored thousands of young ballplayers.
Before Frank Colman died of cancer in 1983 at the age of 65, he had been working at the University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
in the maintenance department.
Sixteen years later in 1999, Frank Colman was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum is a museum located in St. Marys, Ontario, Canada. The museums commemorates great players, teams, and accomplishments of baseball in Canada.-History:...
. In a letter to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999, Yogi Berra wrote that he visited Colman at his home in Canada on several occasions.
"I've made a lot of friends in baseball through the years, but I'll always remember Frank as one of the most decent and genuine people that I ever met," Berra wrote. "I was proud that he was my friend."
His son, Frank Colman Jr., accepted the Hall of Fame plaque at the ceremony in St. Marys, Ontario
St. Marys, Ontario
St. Marys is a town in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Thames River southwest of Stratford in Perth County, and surrounded by the Township of Perth South. The town is also known by its nickname, "The Stone Town", due to the abundance of limestone in the surrounding area, giving...
with a large contingent of Colmans on hand.
"If he were here, I think he would say his greatest accomplishment has been his contribution to the community through the work with the Eager Beaver Baseball Association," his son said. "That was his real pride and joy. He really loved that kind of work."
In 2005, Colman was also inducted into the London Sports Hall of Fame at the John Labatt Centre
John Labatt Centre
The John Labatt Centre is a sports-entertainment centre, in London, Ontario, Canada -- the largest such centre in southwestern Ontario.The John Labatt Centre, usually referred to as the "JLC", opened on October 11, 2002. It is named after John Labatt, founder of the Labatt brewery in London...
.
External links
- Colman started, finished in London by London Free Press sportswriter Morris Dalla Costa, Oct. 26, 2005
- Colman's obituary in the New York Times on Feb. 22, 1983
- Sportspic Bio of Colman Note misspelling of Colman's name as Coleman