George Raymond Bird (June 23, 1850 – November 9, 1940) was a

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), ...

center fielder in the 19th century. He played for the

Rockford Forest Citys Rockford Forest Citys (officially the Forest City Club), from Rockford, Illinois was one of the first professional baseball clubs. Rockford played for one season during the National Association inaugural year of . They are not to be confused wit ...

of the National Association in 1871. He was a native of

Stillman Valley, Illinois Stillman Valley is a village in Marion Township, Ogle County, Illinois, United States. It lies east of Byron, south of Rockford and west of Davis Junction. The population was 1,120 at the 2010 census, up from 1,048 in 2000. The village is loca ...

. In 25 games as the Forest Citys starting center fielder, Bird batted .264 (28-for-106) with two doubles, five triples, 13 RBI, and 19 runs scored. At the time of his death he was the last living player from the 1871 season.

External links

Baseball Reference
* 1850 births 1940 deaths 19th-century baseball players Baseball players from Illinois Major League Baseball center fielders People from Stillman Valley, Illinois Sportspeople from the Rockford metropolitan area, Illinois Rockford Forest Citys players {{baseball-center-fielder-stub