Elmer S. "Doc" Bennett (February 1, 1891 in

Ruyle, Illinois Ruyle Township is one of eleven townships in Jersey County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 421 and it contained 162 housing units. Geography According to the 2010 census, the township has a total area of , of ...

, United States – March 31, 1974 in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

, USA) was a minor league baseball pitcher and player, who later became a very successful minor league manager, leading five teams to league championships in 13 years of managing. He spent much of his career as a player-manager. He later spent time as a major league scout.

Playing career

His playing career spanned from 1920 to 1932, although he played in only seven of those seasons - he did not play in 1922, 1923, 1925, 1926, 1927 or 1931. He played in 160 games in his career, hitting around .253. In those years, he met and worked with

Red Ruffing Charles Herbert "Red" Ruffing (May 3, 1905 – February 17, 1986) was an American professional baseball player. A pitcher, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1924 through 1947. He played for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, ...

, helping him transition into a

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He also helped Ruffing sign his first professional contract.

Managing career

Bennett's first foray into managing was in 1923, with the

Cairo Egyptians The Cairo Egyptians were a minor league baseball team from Cairo, Illinois, that played in the Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League (KITTY League) on and off from 1903 to 1950 and in the Central League in 1897. Team history On February 7, 18 ...

of the

KITTY League Kitty or Kittie may refer to: Animals * Cat, a small, domesticated carnivorous mammal ** Kitten, a young cat Film * Kitty Films, an anime production company in Japan * ''Kitty'' (1929 film), based on the Deeping novel; the first British talk ...

. He replaced Jack Herbert and was one of two managers for the Egyptians that season. He would not manage again until 1928, with the McCook Generals of the

Nebraska State League The Nebraska State League (NSL) was an American professional minor league baseball league with five incarnations between 1892 and 1959. The Nebraska State League formed five times: in 1892, from 1910 to 1915, from 1922 to 1923, from 1928 to 1938 a ...

. He led them to league championships three years in a row, from 1928 to 1930, and a second-place finish in 1931. In 1928, the team seized first place after ten games, retaining that position for the rest of the year. They finished with a five-game lead over the second place

Lincoln Links The Lincoln Links were an American minor league baseball franchise that represented Lincoln, Nebraska, for 18 seasons over a 23-year period (1917–39) during the 20th century. They played in the Class A Western League (1917; 1924–27), the Cla ...

. Due to his and the team's success that year, McCook led the league in attendance, and Bennett was named the All-Star team manager, along with three of his players.Biography
In 1929, the team finished 6.5 games over the second place

Fairbury Jeffersons The Fairbury Jeffersons were a Nebraska State League baseball team based in Fairbury, in the U.S. state of Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to ...

. Although many teams were negatively affected by the

1929 Stock Market Crash The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange colla ...

in 1930, the Generals ended up having their best season, finishing 17 games over the Fairbury Jeffersons. They posted a record of 85–34. Over the course of his four-year tenure as manager of the Generals, he played in 77 of his team's games, or about 19 a year. In 1932, he led the

Waterloo Hawks The Waterloo Hawks were a National Basketball League and National Basketball Association team based in Waterloo, Iowa. The Hawks remain the only sports franchise ever based in Iowa from any of the current Big Four Leagues. Franchise history ...

of the

Mississippi Valley League The Mississippi Valley League (MVL) was a baseball Class D level minor league that operated from 1922 through 1933. Playing its last year as a Class B level league, the league franchises were based in Iowa and Illinois. Like many leagues at the ...

to a losing record. He managed the Lincoln Links of the Nebraska State League for part of 1933 season before being replaced by Jack Hruska. After being fired by the Links, he served as a league umpire. He did not manage from 1934 to 1936. In 1937, he took over as manager of the

Norfolk Elks The Norfolk Elks were a Nebraska State League (1928–1938), Tri-State League (1924) and Western League (baseball, 1939-41), Western League baseball team based in Norfolk, Nebraska, United States. They were affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinal ...

, a

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

affiliate in the Nebraska State League (which became the Western League in 1939). Although he led the Elks to a losing record in 1937, he led them to a league championship in 1938 and a first-place finish in 1939, however the team lost in the first round of the playoffs that season. The Elks became the

Norfolk Yankees The Norfolk Yankees were a Western League baseball team based in Norfolk, Nebraska, United States that played from 1940 to 1941. They were affiliated with the New York Yankees. Jim Dyck, who played Major League Baseball Major League Baseball ...

in 1940. Bennett led them to a first-place finish, though the team lost in the first round of the playoffs. From 1941 to 1942, Bennett managed the

Joplin Miners The Joplin Miners was the primary name of the minor league baseball team in Joplin, Missouri that played for 49 seasons between 1901 and 1954. Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees Mickey Mantle and Whitey Herzog played for Joplin. Professional baseba ...

of the

Western Association The Western Association was the name of five different leagues formed in American minor league baseball during the 19th and 20th centuries. The oldest league, originally established as the Northwestern League in 1883, was refounded as the Western ...

, another Yankees affiliate. He led them to a first-place finish and a league championship in 1941, however they finished with a losing record and a fifth-place finish in 1942. Thus concluded his managerial career.

Scouting career

Bennett scouted 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 eight ...

from 1943 to 1949 and the

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 p ...

from 1950 to 1969.Baseball Guru
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Doc 1891 births 1974 deaths Baseball players from Illinois Boston Red Sox scouts Cairo Egyptians players Chicago White Sox scouts Daytona Beach Islanders players McCook Generals players Minor league baseball managers Minor league baseball players Minor league baseball umpires Norfolk Elks players Norfolk Yankees players Waterloo Hawks (baseball) players