Kerwin Danley

Kerwin Joseph Danley Sr.

• Height 6' 2", Weight 240 lb.
• School San Diego State University
• High School Susan Miller Dorsey High School

• Born May 25, 1961 in Los Angeles, CA USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Kerwin Danley was a major league umpire for 29 seasons.

Danley was picked in the 12th round of the 1979 amateur draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers out of high school. In college, Danley was a teammate of Tony Gwynn at San Diego State University. Unlike Gwynn, Danley was an All-American outfielder. He was so honored in 1983, joining Ben Abner and Shane Mack in the outfield. His 108 hits in 1983 are still (as of 2010) tied for third most in SDSU history.

Danley was not drafted out of college. He went on to umpiring instead, starting in the 1985 Northwest League. He moved on to the 1986 California League, 1987-1989 Texas League, 1990-1995 Pacific Coast League and 1996-1997 International League.

He started working National League games as a substitute umpire in 1992, while continuing to spend the majority of his time in the minors. In 1998, Danley was promoted full-time to the major leagues. He worked the Division Series in 2000. Kerwin worked the 2007 ALCS and 2007 All-Star Game and worked his first World Series in 2008.

In 2020, he was appointed a crew chief, becoming the first African-American umpire to hold the title. However, he was one of a number of veteran umpires to sit out that season over health and safety concerns linked to the Coronavirus pandemic. He returned for one final season in 2021, working 59 games to bring his career total to 2,656, after which he announced his retirement.

Main Source: MLB.com bio

Related Sites

• Kerwin Danley on Retrosheet.org
• Sporting News umpire card