Bill Gilbreth

William Freeman Gilbreth

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.
• School Abilene Christian College
• High School Abilene Christian School
• Debut June 25, 1971
• Final Game May 12, 1974
• Born September 3, 1947 in Abilene, TX USA
• Died July 12, 2020 in Abilene, TX USA

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Biographical Information

Bill Gilbreth pitched 14 games in the majors over three seasons. His first game in the bigs was a start, in which Bill pitched a complete game victory, and got two hits. It came on June 25, 1971, as a member of the Detroit Tigers, facing the Cleveland Indians. His third game was also a start and a victory, winning against the New York Yankees. [1]

Gilbreth did not pitch high school ball, as his school did not have a baseball team, but was a big star in college, at Abilene Christian College. He was the first player from the school to reach the majors - and remained the only one as of 2020. He was also the first to have his number retired by the program and was inducted in the school's sports hall of fame. He played five seasons in the minors. In 1970, he posted an ERA of 2.38 in AA ball as a starter, while in 1972 as a reliever he had an ERA of 1.92 with 14 saves in AAA.

After his playing days, Bill oversaw the resurrection of the baseball program at his alma mater, now Abilene Christian University, from 1991 to 1995. As of 2016, he was an accountant. He died from complications from emergency heart surgery in 2020, at age 72.

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