Bill Conroy (conrobi02)

William Gordon Conroy

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 185 lb.
• School Illinois Wesleyan University
• High School Trinity High School (Bloomington)
• Debut September 21, 1935
• Final Game October 1, 1944
• Born February 26, 1915 in Bloomington, IL USA
• Died November 13, 1997 in Citrus Heights, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Catcher Bill Conroy was signed out of Illinois Wesleyan University by the Philadelphia Athletics before the 1935 season and spent his first year with two teams, appearing in 35 games with the Richmond Colts of the Class B Piedmont League and 16 with the Williamsport Grays of the Class A New York-Pennsylvania League, hitting .275 clip in 160 at bats. Bill was summoned to Shibe Park by the Athletics to make his major league debut on September 21, 1935. In his only appearance, he was 1-for-4. 1936 was almost a duplicate of his first season. He appeared in 80 games for the Houston Buffaloes of the Class A Texas League and hit .298 before being called up to the Athletics and again appeared in just one game, singling in a 1-for-2 day. After 41 games with the Williamsport Grays in 1937, he was again called up to the A's and bested his previous best by playing 26 times, batting .200 (12-for-60). Conroy was sent to the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League on November 5, completing an earlier deal. He spent the next four seasons (1938-1941) in the PCL, batting .258 with a total of 20 home runs.

Bill's steady play caught the Boston Red Sox's attention. On September 30, 1941, they claimed Conroy in the 1941 Rule V Draft. Bill spent three war years (1942-1944) with the club, appearing in a total of 141 games, batting .197 with five home runs. He finished his big league career with a .199 batting average and 45 runs scored in 169 games. Bill was called up for military duty in 1945 and spent the year serving in the United States Navy during World War II. He was back in time for the 1946 season and joined the Sacramento Solons of the Pacific Coast League, hitting only .212 in 264 at bats. 1947 and 1948 found Bill with the Columbus (OH) Red Birds of the American Association where he appeared in 91 and 50 games respectively and hit .229. Bill ended his 10-year minor league career with a .253 batting average and 47 home runs in 800 games.

After baseball, Conroy made his home in Citrus Heights, CA, where he lived and worked until his death on November 13, 1997, at the age of 82.

Related Sites

• Bill Conroy at the SABR Bio Project
• BR Minors Page