Wayne Tennyson Blackburn (July 10, 1914 in Mount Joy, Ohio

Portsmouth, Ohio

Portsmouth is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Scioto County. The municipality is located on the northern banks of the Ohio River and east of the Scioto River in Southern Ohio. The population was 20,226 at the 2010 census.-Foundation:...

 – February 16, 2000 in Portsmouth, Ohio

Portsmouth, Ohio

Portsmouth is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Scioto County. The municipality is located on the northern banks of the Ohio River and east of the Scioto River in Southern Ohio. The population was 20,226 at the 2010 census.-Foundation:...

) was a 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...

 coach and minor league player-manager.

Blackburn was an infielder

Infielder

An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...

 nineteen years (1936

1936 in baseball

-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Yankees over New York Giants *All-Star Game, July 7 at Braves Field: National League, 4–3-Awards and honors:* Most Valuable Player**American League: Lou Gehrig, New York Yankees, 1B...

-1956

1956 in baseball

-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Yankees over Brooklyn Dodgers ; Don Larsen, MVP*All-Star Game, July 10 at Griffith Stadium: National League, 7-3-Other champions:*Caribbean World Series: Cienfuegos *College World Series: Minnesota...

), all in the minor leagues, losing one year to military service and one year to inactivity. Blackburn drew over 1400 walks in 2016 minor league games. From 1948-1956, he had 715 hits and 742 walks in 711 games. He led the 1936 KITTY League with 124 runs, the 1943 American Association

American Association (20th century)

The American Association was a minor league baseball league at the Triple-A level of baseball in the United States from to and to . Together with the International League, it contested the Junior World Series which determined the championship team in minor league baseball, at least for the...

 with 114 runs, and the 1951 KITTY with 116 runs. He also led the 1948 Southern Association

Southern Association

The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A , Class A1 and Class AA...

 with 36 SB.

Blackburn was briefly a player-manager at the end of the season in 1937 for the Peoria Reds of the Three-I League. Blackburn really began his managerial career in 1951 with the Owensboro Oilers

Owensboro Oilers

The Owensboro Oilers were a minor league baseball team in Owensboro, Kentucky. The team played in the Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League in 1936 to 1942 and 1946 to 1955. In 1952 the team was managed by former major league all-star Wally Berger...

. He moved to 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...

 farm system, where he was a player-manager in the minors (1952–1954, 1956), minor league manager (1958, 1965–1966, 1968) and major league coach (1963–1964).

His Kinston Eagles had the best record in the 1952 Coastal Plain League

Coastal Plain League (Class D)

The Coastal Plain League was a minor league baseball affiliation which, except for the war years , operated in North Carolina from 1937 to 1952. It was classified as a "D" league. It grew out of a semi-pro league that operated from 1934 to 1936 under the same Coastal Plain League name.- Coastal...

, as did the Augusta Tigers

Augusta Tigers

The Augusta Tigers were a minor league baseball team that existed on-and-off from 1936 to 1958. Based in Augusta, Georgia, they played in the South Atlantic League from 1936 to 1942, from 1946 to 1952 and from 1955 to 1958. They were affiliated with the Detroit Tigers in 1936, from 1941 to 1942 and...

 of the South Atlantic League

South Atlantic League

The South Atlantic League is a minor league baseball league based chiefly in the Southeastern United States, with the exception of three teams in the Mid-Atlantic States...

 he took over in mid-1958. His teams also lost in the playoffs in 1953 and 1954.

Blackburn scouted for 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...

 into at least the mid-1980s.

He married Jeanne Anderson on October 14, 1939. He served in the U.S. Army as a TEC 4 during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 (1945). He died at age 86 at a VA Hospital in Portsmouth, Ohio and is buried at Greenlawn Cemetery in Portsmouth.

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs
1937	Peoria Reds	Three-I League			Cincinnati Reds Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....		replaced Ben Tincup Ben Tincup Austin Ben Tincup was a pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1914-1928. In 1918 his career was interrupted while he served in World War I....
1951	Owensboro Oilers Owensboro Oilers The Owensboro Oilers were a minor league baseball team in Owensboro, Kentucky. The team played in the Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League in 1936 to 1942 and 1946 to 1955. In 1952 the team was managed by former major league all-star Wally Berger...	KITTY League	71-48	2nd	none	Lost League Finals
1952	Kinston Eagles	Coastal Plain League Coastal Plain League (Class D) The Coastal Plain League was a minor league baseball affiliation which, except for the war years , operated in North Carolina from 1937 to 1952. It was classified as a "D" league. It grew out of a semi-pro league that operated from 1934 to 1936 under the same Coastal Plain League name.- Coastal...	76-47	1st	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...	Lost in 1st round
1953	Wausau Timberjacks	Wisconsin State League Wisconsin State League There was a class D league called the Wisconsin State League which began in 1905. In 1908 it changed its name to the Wisconsin-Illinois League. Another Wisconsin State League began in 1940, shut down for World War II from 1943 through 1945, then operated from 1946 through 1953...	76-49	2nd	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...	Lost League Finals
1954	Jamestown Falcons Jamestown Falcons The Jamestown Falcons were a minor league baseball team that existed on-and-off from 1940 to 1972. They played in the PONY League from 1940 to 1956, and in the New York-Penn League in 1957 and from 1968 to 1972. Based in Jamestown, New York, they were affiliated with the Detroit Tigers from 1941 to...	PONY League			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...		replaced Danny Litwhiler Danny Litwhiler Daniel Webster Litwhiler was an American Major League baseball player who played outfield from 1940-1951. He played for the Boston Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, and Cincinnati Reds. He was the first Major Leaguer to have an error-free season...
1956	Jamestown Falcons Jamestown Falcons The Jamestown Falcons were a minor league baseball team that existed on-and-off from 1940 to 1972. They played in the PONY League from 1940 to 1956, and in the New York-Penn League in 1957 and from 1968 to 1972. Based in Jamestown, New York, they were affiliated with the Detroit Tigers from 1941 to...	PONY League			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...		replaced Don Lund Don Lund Donald Andrew Lund is a former backup outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers , St. Louis Browns and Detroit Tigers . He batted and threw right-handed....
1958	Augusta Tigers Augusta Tigers The Augusta Tigers were a minor league baseball team that existed on-and-off from 1936 to 1958. Based in Augusta, Georgia, they played in the South Atlantic League from 1936 to 1942, from 1946 to 1952 and from 1955 to 1958. They were affiliated with the Detroit Tigers in 1936, from 1941 to 1942 and...	South Atlantic League Southern League (baseball) The Southern League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Southern United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The original league was formed in , and shut down in . A new league, the Southern Association, was formed in , consisting of twelve teams...			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...		replaced Stan Charnofsky
1965	Montgomery Rebels	Southern League Southern League (baseball) The Southern League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Southern United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The original league was formed in , and shut down in . A new league, the Southern Association, was formed in , consisting of twelve teams...	63-74	6th	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...
1966	Montgomery Rebels	Southern League Southern League (baseball) The Southern League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Southern United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The original league was formed in , and shut down in . A new league, the Southern Association, was formed in , consisting of twelve teams...	66-72	5th	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...
1968	GCL Tigers	Gulf Coast League Gulf Coast League The Gulf Coast League is a minor league baseball league which operates in Florida. It is a Rookie League, with a season running from mid-June to late August. The season is 60 games long and teams in the league are divided into three divisions, East, North and South...	27-36	7th	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...	none