Bill Zuber

William Henry Zuber
(Goober)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 195 lb.

• Debut September 16, 1936
• Final Game September 23, 1947
• Born March 26, 1913 in Middle Amana, IA USA
• Died November 2, 1982 in Cedar Rapids, IA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Bill Zuber is widely credited as the first Amish baseball player, but he wasn't actually Amish. He was actually a member of the Amana Church Society, a group that spoke German, relied upon farming, and eschewed modern inventions like cars. He never attended high school, instead being apprenticed as a cooper (barrel maker) at age 14.

Zuber had bona fide conscientious objector status during World War II, which is how he spent the bulk of his career pitching for Washington Senators and the New York Yankees in the early 1940s.

He owned "Bill Zuber's Major League Restaurant" in the Amana Colonies in Iowa.

Notable Achievement

• Won a World Series with the New York Yankees in 1943 (he did not play in the World Series)

Related Sites

• Bill Zuber at the SABR Bio Project