Willie Mills

William Grant Mills
(Wee Willie, Billy)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 7", Weight 150 lb.

• Debut July 13, 1901
• Final Game July 17, 1901
• Born August 15, 1877 in Schenevus, NY USA
• Died March 14, 1933 in Utica, NY USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Willie Mills, who was also known as Billy Mills, was long listed as having died on July 5, 1914 in Norwood, NY, but this was a case of mistaken identity. A person did die on that day after being hit by a train, but authorities at first had trouble identifying the badly mangled corpse. The body was identified as Willie Mills tanks to a grocery slip found in one pocket, and news of the former ballplayer's death was published as a result. However, the authorities recanted a few days later, confirming that Mills was in fact alive and well. Alas, the original article was found by researchers, but not the correction which was published a few days later.

When SABR researchers tried to identify Mills' final resting place a century after the train wreck, they uncovered the mistake and were able to trace the ballplayer's final years. He died of a heart attack in 1933 and an obituary correctly identified him as the former pitcher.

Willie Mills was the father of Art Mills.

Further Reading

• "Billy Mills", in Bill Carle, ed.: Biographical Research Committee Report, September/October 2014, p. 1.

Related Sites

• Willie Mills at the SABR Bio Project