Bill Crowley

William Michael Crowley

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Weight 159 lb.

• Debut April 26, 1875
• Final Game October 10, 1885
• Born April 8, 1857 in Philadelphia, PA USA
• Died July 14, 1891 in Gloucester, NJ USA

BR page

Biographical Information

"Crowley was a fine batsman, superior outfielder and a good catcher, and one of the best long and line throwers in the profession." - Sporting Life, July 18, 1891

Bill Crowley played eight seasons in three different major leagues. He is one of few players to get four outfield assists in a game, something he did twice. Born in Philly in 1857, Bill was only 18 when he played for the Philadelphia Whites, making him the youngest player on the team. In future years, he moved around to various teams, coming back to Philly years later with the Athletics. His best year with the bat was probably 1884, when he batted .270/.325/.378 for the Boston Beaneaters. He was added to the "blacklist" at an 1881 National League meeting barring him from playing for or against any NL team; he was reinstated in 1883.

His obituary and a sketch appeared in the July 18, 1891 issue of Sporting Life. Although he was born in Philly, his parents moved when he was 12 to Gloucester, NJ where he worked at a print works and played amateur ball with a couple local clubs. After his major league days, he played in the minors, finishing with New Haven. He was a close friend of Hardy Richardson.

Related Sites

• Bill Crowley at the SABR Bio Project