Bill Terry
Bill Terry was a prominent figure in Major League Baseball, known for his exceptional skills as a first baseman and later as a manager for the New York Giants. Born on October 30, 1898, in Atlanta, Georgia, Terry spent much of his formative years in Memphis, Tennessee. His baseball career began when he pitched professionally at sixteen, but he ultimately found his true calling at first base. Terry batted an impressive .401 in 1930, marking a highlight in a career that saw him develop into one of the best fielding first basemen of his time.
In 1932, Terry transitioned from player to manager, succeeding the legendary John McGraw. Under his leadership, the Giants achieved significant success, winning the World Series in 1933 and securing multiple pennants in the following years. Despite facing challenges, including controversies with media and rivals, Terry's confidence and knowledge of the game earned him the respect of his players. He retired as a player with a .341 lifetime batting average and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954, nearly two decades after his playing career ended. Bill Terry passed away on January 9, 1989, in Jacksonville, Florida, leaving behind a legacy of excellence in baseball.
Bill Terry
President
- Born: October 30, 1898
- Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia
- Died: January 9, 1989
- Place of death: Jacksonville, Florida
Sport: Baseball
Early Life
William Harold Terry was born on October 30, 1898, in Atlanta, Georgia, but spent most of his childhood as well as many of his later years in Memphis, Tennessee. Details about his early years are scanty, but he seems to have had the qualities of shrewdness, self-confidence, and leadership that he displayed later.
The Road to Excellence
Bill began to pitch professionally at the age of sixteen, playing in the Georgia-Alabama League and, for two years thereafter, at Shreveport in the Texas League. Then, despite an overall record of 27-14, he dropped out of professional baseball for the next four years. During this period, he operated a filling station and foresaw opportunities in the oil and automobile industries that he later put to good use. Meanwhile, he played semiprofessional baseball and attracted the interest of the New York Giants.
In 1922, the Giants sent Bill, a twenty-three-year-old prospect, to Toledo of the American Association, where he continued to pitch and often played first base. As a pitcher, he proved only mediocre, winning 9 and losing 9 with a rather high earned run average of 4.26, but he began to show the hitting and fielding ability that later made him a champion.
Beginning in 1923, he stuck exclusively to first base and batted an awesome .377; he also led the American Association in fielding at his position with only 7 errors in 109 games. Manager John McGraw of the Giants decided that Bill was ready to help the parent club.
Bill played in three games for the Giants at the end of the 1923 season and played part-time in 1924, but found National League pitching much tougher. His .239 average was hardly adequate for a first baseman, but McGraw saw ability in him and decided to install him as a regular in 1925.
The Emerging Champion
In 1925, two future baseball greats began playing first base regularly for New York teams: Lou Gehrig with the Yankees and Bill with the Giants. Gehrig had more power, but Bill hit with as much consistency and displayed more fielding grace and range. In that first season as a regular, Bill batted .319.
Bill was an assertive young man, a natural leader, but he was playing for a manager who did not intend to share any of his authority with his young first baseman. John McGraw had been managing almost continuously in the major leagues from the time Bill was born, and he had earned the nickname “Little Napoleon.” There were frequent clashes between the two. Bill defied McGraw whenever possible. Each spring, he held out for more money and issued ultimatums from his Memphis home: “Pay me or trade me.” Players had little bargaining strength in the 1920’s, however, and McGraw had no intention of trading his young star.
In 1930, Bill capped a half-dozen excellent seasons when he batted .401 with an astonishing 254 hits and 129 RBI. There had been other .400 hitters, but in the next sixty years, no National Leaguer and only one major leaguer—Ted Williams—accomplished the feat.
Continuing the Story
In 1932, the Giants, who had won ten pennants under McGraw but had not won since 1924, Bill’s first year with the club, slipped badly. The team, usually in contention, was mired in the second division in June when McGraw, nearly sixty years old, decided to quit.
More than a few eyebrows were raised when Little Napoleon picked as his successor his old nemesis, Bill. Now Bill faced the difficult challenge of combining the duties of player and manager. He insisted on, and received, even more authority than McGraw had enjoyed. With Bill having the final word on all player personnel matters, the Giants reigned as world champions in 1933.
In 1934, Bill committed his biggest baseball blunder when, asked for his assessment of the struggling Brooklyn Dodgers by a reporter, he responded, “Is Brooklyn still in the league?” The infuriated Dodgers won the final two games from the Giants and knocked them out of the pennant race. Since that time, managers have shown much more caution in evaluating weaker opponents.
In 1936 and 1937, the Giants again won pennants under Bill, although the team lost to the New York Yankees in the World Series both years. After the 1936 season, Bill retired as a player with a .341 lifetime batting average and a well-deserved reputation as the best-fielding first baseman of his era. He managed the Giants through 1941, then turned to oil and cotton speculation and then to an automobile distributorship in Florida. He also served as president of the South Atlantic League from 1954 to 1958.
Perhaps because of his abrasiveness with sportswriters, Bill was not elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame until 1954. Still in good shape, he cracked a home run in an old-timers’ game that summer in Yankee Stadium. Bill remained active throughout a long life and died a wealthy man at the age of ninety in Jacksonville, Florida, on January 9, 1989.
Summary
Bill Terry said the secret of hitting was confidence. He seems always to have had confidence in himself, in his ability, and in his judgment. Although he could be harsh in his treatment of subordinates, his players, recognizing his commitment to their best interests and those of the team, respected and liked him as a manager. Few men have attained similar success at both playing and managing. A longtime observer of baseball explained Bill’s success by pointing to his knowledge—of the game, of players, of business, and of people generally.
Bibliography
Stein, Fred. Under Coogan’s Bluff: A Fan’s Recollections of the New York Giants Under Terry and Ott. Glenshaw, Pa.: Chapter and Cask, 1981.
Wilbert, Warren N. A Cunning Kind of Play: The Cubs-Giants Rivalry, 1876-1932. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2002.
Williams, Peter. When the Giants Were Giants: Bill Terry and the Golden Age of New York Baseball. Chapel Hill, N.C.: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 1994.