Willie Dawson

William John Dawson

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 189 lb.
• High School Evanston Township High School

• Born September 30, 1941 in Evanston, IL USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Willie Dawson pitched in the Chicago White Sox organization in the minor leagues from 1960 to 1964. He had one game in AAA, with the Indianapolis Indians of the Pacific Coast League in 1964, but otherwise his entire career was in Class A or below. Arm injuries brought his career to a premature end.

In 1960 and 1961, he was with the Clinton C-Sox of the Midwest League, going 6-11, 4.95 the first year and 12-7, 3.54 the second. He struck out 119 batters in 120 innings the first year, but also walked 85, and his walks rose to 111 in 155 innings the second, against 99 Ks. In 1962, he spent the season with the Visalia White Sox of the California League, going 7-12, 5.43. An otherwise forgettable year included an absolute gem on August 4th, when he set a league record by striking out 21 batters in a 7-4 win over the Reno Silver Sox. In total, he struck 209 batters in 164 innings, but also walked 159. He led the circuit in walks, while he finished fourth in striekouts.

In 1963, he had his best season back with Clinton, going 13-5, 3.42. He struck out 157 batters in 142 innings, and managed to get his walks down to a more manageable level, with 91. That earned him a promotion to AAA the following season, but in his only game with Indianapolis, he gave up 2 runs in 1 inning. He also made 6 appearances in the Florida Instructional League after the season, doing well (2-0, 3.32), but never again pitched professionally after that.