Bill Haller

William Edward Haller

• Height 6' 4", Weight 205 lb.
• School Joliet Junior College
• High School Lockport Township High School

• Born February 28, 1935 in Joliet, IL USA
• Died August 20, 2022 in Marion, IL USA

Biographical Information

Bill Haller is the older brother of major league catcher Tom Haller.

Haller began his career as an umpire in the Georgia-Florida League in 1958 after serving two years in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He moved up to the New York-Penn League in 1959, and the Northwest League in 1960. He moved to the Pacific Coast League from August 1960 to September 1961, when he finished out the season in the American League. He returned to the minors in the International League in 1962, then umpired in the AL from 1963 to 1982.

During the 1972 season, the Haller brothers were both in the AL and Earl Weaver complained to league president Joe Cronin that Bill may "lean one way or another". Cronin (whose wife's family owned the Minnesota Twins) did shift Bill from working at least one series.

Bill was a well-respected umpire, as reflected by the fact that he saw significant work in important games: four American League Championship Series, four World Series and four All-Star Games. Indeed, his final appearance was as the first base umpire in Game 7 of the 1982 World Series. He then became assistant supervisor of American League umpires before retiring in 1985

Related Sites

• Bill Haller on Retrosheet.org
• Sporting News Umpire card
• Obituary