Colonel Buster Mills (September 16, 1908 – December 1, 1991) was an American
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...
,
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
,
scout and interim
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities ...
in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
.
A native of
Ranger, Texas
Ranger is a city in Eastland County, Texas, United States. Its population was 2,468 at the 2010 census. Ranger College, a community college, is the second-largest employer in the community.
During the 1920s, Ranger, like nearby Cisco, Eastland, ...
, in his playing days, he stood (181.6 cm) tall, weighed 195 pounds (88.5 kg), and threw and batted righthanded.
His father, Elvis, owned a general store in Ranger, Texas.
[ Elvis and Lucy Mills gave their fourth child the first name of Colonel, after the rank of either Elvis's best friend or a Civil War great-uncle.][ (During World War II, he enjoyed introducing himself to officers as "Colonel Mills".][) He lettered in football, basketball, track and baseball at the ]University of Oklahoma
, mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State"
, type = Public research university
, established =
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.7billion (2021)
, pr ...
and was named all- Big Six quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
.[ He graduated with a degree in ]geology
Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ea ...
in 1931.
A St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
scout saw him hit for the cycle
In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter who hits a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are rare in Major League B ...
(including two doubles) in a baseball game against Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...
. However, when he asked for the player's name, he was told it was Wahl. The scout had to leave, but left a message to sign the (wrong) player.[ Mills signed with Cleveland,][ but ended up in the extensive St. Louis Cardinals farm system during the early 1930s, receiving a 29-game trial with the "]Gashouse Gang
The Gashouse Gang was the nickname of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team of the early 1930s. Owing to their success that started in 1926, the Cardinals would win a total of five National League pennants from 1926 to 1934 (nine seasons) while wi ...
" Cardinals and then a 17-game tryout with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He played the rest of his MLB career in the American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
for the Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
, St. Louis Browns
The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...
, New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
and Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...
(1937–40; 1942; 1946). Overall, he played in 415 games, and compiled a lifetime batting average
Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic.
Cricket
In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
of .287 with 14 home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
s and 163 runs batted in
A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...
. In , Mills batted .397 in 63 at bats for the Yankees,[ largely as a pinch hitter.
After military service in World War II, Mills became a coach for the Indians (1946), ]Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...
(1947–50), Cincinnati Redlegs
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...
(1953) and Red Sox (1954) and managed in minor league baseball.[ He was the interim manager of the 1953 Redlegs, finishing the unexpired term of ]Rogers Hornsby
Rogers Hornsby Sr. (April 27, 1896 – January 5, 1963), nicknamed "The Rajah", was an American baseball infielder, manager, and coach who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1915–1926, 193 ...
, who resigned late in the season.[ Mills' record in Cincinnati was 4–4 (.500).][
After his coaching career, Mills spent many seasons as a scout for the ]Kansas City Athletics
The history of the Athletics Major League Baseball franchise spans the period from 1901 to the present day, having begun as a charter member franchise in the new American League in Philadelphia before moving to Kansas City in 1955 for 13 sea ...
, then the Yankees.
He died in Arlington, Texas, at the age of 83.
References
*Spink, J.G. Taylor, ed., ''The Baseball Register'' 1954 edition. St. Louis: The Sporting News
The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
.
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mills, Buster
1908 births
1991 deaths
Baseball players from Texas
Boston Red Sox coaches
Boston Red Sox players
Brooklyn Dodgers players
Chicago White Sox coaches
Cincinnati Redlegs coaches
Cincinnati Redlegs managers
Cleveland Indians coaches
Cleveland Indians players
Elmira Red Wings players
Kansas City Athletics scouts
Kansas City Blues (baseball) players
New York Yankees players
New York Yankees scouts
Major League Baseball first base coaches
Major League Baseball outfielders
Major League Baseball third base coaches
Mobile Red Warriors players
Newark Bears (IL) players
Rochester Red Wings players
St. Louis Browns players
St. Louis Cardinals players
People from Ranger, Texas
Oklahoma Sooners baseball players