Doc Bennett

Elmer S. Bennett (Doc)

• School Haverford College
• Born February 1, 1891 in Ruyle, IL USA
• Died March 31, 1974 in Hollywood, CA USA

BR minors page

Biographical information

Doc Bennett was a minor league baseball pitcher and player, who later became a very successful minor league manager, leading five teams to league championships in 13 years of managing. He spent much of his career as a player-manager.

He later spent time as a major league scout.

Playing career

His playing career spanned from 1920 to 1932, although he played in only seven of those seasons - he did not play in 1922, 1923, 1925, 1926, 1927 or 1931. He played in 160 games in his career, hitting around .253.

He hit .211/~.253/.324 in 27 games for the 1928 McCook Generals. The next year, he batted .262/~.327/.301 for McCook. He fielded just .879 at second base but was error-free in the outfield. In 1930, he was still with the club and improved to .275 with his only career home run.

Managing career

Bennett's first foray into managing was in 1923, with the Cairo Egyptians of the KITTY League. He replaced Jack Herbert and was one of two managers for the Egyptians that season.

He would not manage again until 1928, with the McCook Generals of the Nebraska State League. He led them to league championships three years in a row, from 1928 to 1930, and a second place finish in 1931. In 1928, the team seized first place after ten games, retaining that position for the rest of the year. They finished with a five game lead over the second place Lincoln Links. Due to his and the team's success that year, McCook led the league in attendance, and Bennett was named the All-Star team manager, along with three of his players.

In 1929, the team finished 6.5 games over the second place Fairbury Jeffersons. Although many teams were negatively affected by the 1929 Stock Market Crash in 1930, the Generals ended up having their best season, finishing 17 games over the Fairbury Jeffersons. They posted a record of 85-34.

Over the course of his four year tenure as manager of the Generals, he played in 77 of his team's games, or about 19 a year.

In 1932, he led the Waterloo Hawks of the Mississippi Valley League to a losing record. He managed the Lincoln Links of the Nebraska State League for part of 1933 season before being replaced by Jack Hruska. After being fired by the Links, he served as a league umpire.

He didn't manage from 1934 to 1936.

In 1937, he took over as manager of the Norfolk Elks, a New York Yankees affiliate in the Nebraska State League (which became the Western League in 1939). Although he led the Elks to a losing record in 1937, he led them to a league championship in 1938 and a first place finish in 1939, however the team lost in the first round of the playoffs that season.

The Elks became the Norfolk Yankees in 1940. Bennett led them to a first place finish, though the team lost in the first round of the playoffs.

From 1941 to 1942, Bennett managed the Joplin Miners of the Western Association, another Yankees affiliate. He led them to a first place finish and a league championship in 1941, however they finished with a losing record and a fifth place finish in 1942. Thus concluded his managerial career.

Scouting career

He scouted for the Boston Red Sox (1943-1949) and Chicago White Sox (1950-1969).

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs
1923	Cairo Egyptians	KITTY League		6th			replaced Jack Herbert
1928	McCook Generals	Nebraska State League	71-49	1st		none League Champs
1929	McCook Generals	Nebraska State League	74-42	1st		none League Champs
1930	McCook Generals	Nebraska State League	85-34	1st		none League Champs
1931	McCook Generals	Nebraska State League	59-50	2nd
1932	Waterloo Hawks	Mississippi Valley League	52-73	7th	Chicago White Sox
1933	Lincoln Links	Nebraska State League		--	none	--	replaced by Jack Hruska
1937	Norfolk Elks	Nebraska State League	50-65	4th	New York Yankees	none
1938	Norfolk Elks	Nebraska State League	67-49	2nd	New York Yankees	League Champs
1939	Norfolk Elks	Western League	75-44	1st	New York Yankees	Lost in 1st round
1940	Norfolk Yankees	Western League	73-39	1st	New York Yankees	Lost League Finals
1941	Joplin Miners	Western Association	93-41	1st	New York Yankees	League Champs
1942	Joplin Miners	Western Association	59-75	5th	New York Yankees