Lee Riley

Leon Francis Riley

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 185 lb.
• High School Princeton (NE) High School, Cathedral Catholic High School (Lincoln)
• Debut April 19, 1944
• Final Game April 30, 1944
• Born August 20, 1906 in Princeton, NE USA
• Died September 13, 1970 in Schenectady, NY USA

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Biographical Information

Lee Riley, who played pro ball for 22 seasons, but just four games in the major leagues, was the father of an NFL player (Lee, Jr.) and an NBA player, and famed coach, Pat Riley.

In 1941 he led the Can-Am League in homers (32) as player-manager of the Rome Colonels; his average (.391) was second in the league. He also led the Nebraska State League in batting as a player-manager in 1937-1938 with averages of .372 and .365, and led in RBI in 1938 (122) with the Beatrice Blues. He led the 1929 Western League in 3B (27) and the 1945 PONY League in HR (13 tied with Carl Sawatski).

After retiring, he worked for Bishop Gibbons High School as a maintenance man.

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs
1937	Beatrice Blues	Nebraska State League	54-61	3rd	Brooklyn Dodgers	none
1938	Beatrice Blues	Nebraska State League	62-54	3rd	Brooklyn Dodgers
1940	Oneonta Indians	Canadian-American League	62-63	5th	none
1941	Rome Colonels	Canadian-American League	66-58	3rd	none	Lost in 1st round
1945	Bradford Blue Wings	PONY League	70-55	4th	Philadelphia Phillies	Lost in 1st round
1946	Bradford Blue Wings	PONY League	58-66	4th	Philadelphia Phillies	Lost in 1st round
1947	Schenectady Blue Jays	Canadian-American League	86-51	1st	Philadelphia Phillies	League Champs
1948	Schenectady Blue Jays	Canadian-American League	69-68	5th	Philadelphia Phillies
1949	Terre Haute Phillies	Three-I League	69-56	3rd	Philadelphia Phillies	Lost in 1st round
1950	Utica Blue Sox	Eastern League	64-73	5th	Philadelphia Phillies
1951	Schenectady Blue Jays	Eastern League	73-66	5th	Philadelphia Phillies

Related Sites

• Lee Riley at the SABR Bio Project