Blondie Purcell

William Aloysius Purcell

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9½", Weight 159 lb.

• Debut May 1, 1879
• Final Game September 16, 1890
• Born March 16, 1854 in Paterson, NJ USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Blondie Purcell played 12 seasons in the major leagues, mainly in the 1880s. In addition to being a position player (mainly an outfielder), he also pitched 79 games, primarily early in his major league career. He was born in Paterson, NJ, and according to Sporting Life of May 21, 1892, he got his start playing for the Paterson club.

He was called Billy Purcell for the first half of his major league career.

He also managed several times in the minors. he is one of the most prominent players for whom no death details are known.

Preceded by Bob Ferguson

Philadelphia Quakers Manager 1883

Succeeded by Harry Wright

Further Reading

• John Zinn: "A Stepping Stone to the Majors: The Olympic Base Ball Club of Paterson, 1874-76", Baseball Research Journal, SABR, Vol. 52 Number 1 (Spring 2023), pp. 86-95.

Related Sites

• Blondie Purcell at the SABR Bio Project

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