Ollie Beard

Oliver Perry Beard

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 180 lb.

• Debut April 17, 1889
• Final Game June 28, 1891
• Born May 2, 1862 in Lexington, KY USA
• Died May 28, 1929 in Cincinnati, OH USA

BR page

Biographical Information

"There is not a short stop in the League that is doing better work than Ollie Beard, and he is using the stick to good effect." - Sporting Life, July 11, 1896

"Manager Ollie Beard is a gentleman of pleasing address, about 30 years of age, of a modest disposition, and knows thoroughly the ins and outs of base ball." - Sporting Life of April 9, 1892

As a rookie in 1889, Ollie Beard led the American Association in games played. He moved to the National League the following season and then came back to the American Association in 1891. Beard played professionally at least from 1884 to 1896. Born in Lexington, KY, he played in the majors for Cincinnati and Louisville. Historian Lee Allen's book, The Cincinnati Reds, says that Beard "came from a distinguished Kentucky family that invented the famous Kentucky dish that pleases epicurians, burgoo." Ollie later managed several seasons in the minors. The book Rube Waddell: The Zany, Brilliant Life of a Strikeout Artist mentions he managed Rube with the minor league Detroit team. He also umpired a couple of NL games in 1894.

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Playoffs	Notes
1892	Spokane Bunchgrassers	Pacific Northwest League	29-46	4th
1893	Macon Central City	Southern League		2nd (t)		replaced Dan Shannon
1894	Charleston Seagulls	Southern League	33-22	3rd
1895	Evansville Blackbirds	Southern League	66-38	3rd
1898	Detroit Tigers	Western League	73-65	4th		replaced Frank Graves, replaced by Tony Mullane