Archie Wilson

Archibald Clifton Wilson

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 175 lb.
• School University of California, University of Southern California
• High School Franklin High School (Los Angeles)
• Debut September 18, 1951
• Final Game August 5, 1952
• Born November 25, 1923 in Los Angeles, CA USA
• Died April 28, 2007 in Decatur, AL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

A classic 4-A player, Archie Wilson was a native of Los Angeles, CA who hit .221 in 51 games as an outfielder for the New York Yankees in 1951 and 1952, and the Washington Senators and the Boston Red Sox in 1952. Wilson had a belated start in pro ball after attending the University of California for a year, serving in the United States Navy for three years during World War II, and returning to college for three more years at USC before signing as an amateur free agent with the Yankees before the 1947 season.

Archie was the 1951 International League MVP after hitting .316 with 28 home runs and 112 RBIs for the Buffalo Bisons. He was up with the Yankees for a short stay at the start of 1952 before being traded to the Senators and later to the Red Sox that same season. These two years would be it for Wilson in the big leagues.

Archie was going to spend 15 seasons in the minors and in 1952 at the age of 28, he still had 10 years to play, all in AAA ball. In 1953 he was with the Baltimore Orioles of the International League, hitting .301 with 13 homers in 150 games. In 1955 with the Toronto Maple Leafs, again in the IL, he may have had his best late-in-life season when he hit .319 with 16 homers in 150 games. Outside of spending part of a season with the Charleston Senators of the American Association in 1957, where he hit .300 with 23 homers, Archie spent just about all of his later career with the Toronto club. He finished his active career in the minors in 1960 at the age of 36 with a minor league record of hitting at a .303 average along with 194 home runs while appearing in 1,734 games. Ironically, despite his minor league power numbers, he failed to homer in 150 official major league at-bats.

As it sometimes happens, older players want to do a little managing and this is what Archie chose to do, handling three different teams in three different leagues from 1961 to 1963.

Wilson, who was employed with the Fruehauf Trucking Corporation from 1965 to 1990, retired to Decatur, AL, where he died on April 28, 2007. In 2008, he was elected to the International League Hall of Fame.

Notable Achievements

• 1951 MVP International League Buffalo Bisons

Minor League Managing Career

Year	League	Team	W	L	Pct	GB	Fin	Managers
1961	Alabama-Florida League	Pensacola Senators	70	47	.598	5	2	Archie Wilson
1962	Carolina League	Raleigh Capitals	56	84	.400	33	8	Archie Wilson
1963	Carolina League	Peninsula Senators	58	86	.403	19.5	9	Archie Wilson

Sources

Baseball Players of the 1950s

Related Sites

• Archie Wilson at the SABR Bio Project
• BR Minors page