By Tim Marsh, Lakes High School Class of 1966
Posted 6/19/2018
In this posting
about Cap Peterson and Bill Murphy, Clover Park High grads,
and Rick Austin, Lakes High grad, it was a temptation to declare them the “only” Major League Baseball/MLB players from
their respective high schools. Are they?
While research
seems to indicate that’s the case, perhaps you have information which proves
otherwise. If so, please contact researcher/writer Tim Marsh, Lakes High School
Class of 1966, at wildcatville@gmail.com
To clarify,
this posting is about grads of Clover Park and Lakes who played for Major
League Baseball teams. That’s different than posting about grads of the two high
schools who signed contracts with Major League Baseball teams and played in the
minor leagues. Playing in the minors is a major accomplishment, but it’s not
the focus of this posting.
Cap, Bill
and Rick played minor league ball and all three made it to Major League
Baseball.
During research, a good source was The Baseball Cube. TBC, according to information at
its website “contains a massive database of historical baseball player and team
statistics for levels ranging from the Major Leagues to Junior College.” While
TBC is good, it’s not perfect.
--According
to TBC, for Clover Park, those who played MLB are Cap Peterson (Class of 1960) and
Bill Murphy (Class of 1962).
Former CP
players listed who played in the minors are Mason Elvrom, Justin Holmes, Joseph
Keller, Jackie Kellogg, Adam Manley and Phil Westendorf.
However, Randy
Peterson (Cap’s brother) and Duane Rossman, should be in the TCB Clover Park listing
for playing minor league ball, too.
Link to
TBC info about Clover Park:
http://www.thebaseballcube.com/hs/profile.asp?ID=1160
--TBC says
Rick Austin of Lakes (Class of 1965) played MLB.
Former Lakes players listed who played in the minors are Harold Adams, Wayne Anderson, Harrison Bragg, Nick Cebula, Ryan Davis, Eric Garrett, D. J. Gee and Michael Wholey.
Link to
TBC info about Lakes:
NOTE:
Sources in
this posting are identified. But, some source information was dated or
incorrect. Thus, in some cases info was updated and rewritten, And, there were some deletions and some additions to source material.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Cap Peterson
Clover
Park Class of 1960
Cap
Peterson signed his professional baseball contract with San Francisco Giants soon after graduating in 1960 from Clover Park High School.
He was 20-years-old when he broke into the big leagues on September 12, 1962, with the
Giants. He also played MLB for the Washington Senators and the Cleveland
Indians.
Charles
Andrew Peterson was born in Tacoma on Aug. 15, 1942, and graduated from Clover
Park High School in 1960.
Nicknamed "Cap" from the initials in his name, Peterson signed a contract with the San Francisco Giants and general manager Rosy Ryan for a reported $90,000 out of high school and played with the Giants from 1962-66, making his professional debut in Tacoma in an exhibition against the Tacoma Giants in 1963. He also spent time with the Washington Senators (1967-68) and Cleveland Indians (1969) among MLB teams.
Nicknamed "Cap" from the initials in his name, Peterson signed a contract with the San Francisco Giants and general manager Rosy Ryan for a reported $90,000 out of high school and played with the Giants from 1962-66, making his professional debut in Tacoma in an exhibition against the Tacoma Giants in 1963. He also spent time with the Washington Senators (1967-68) and Cleveland Indians (1969) among MLB teams.
Peterson
compiled a career stat line of 269 hits in 1,170 at bats for a .230 batting
average over 536 MLB games. He also played three years of minor league baseball
after his major league career ended before retiring to join his family's
construction business. He spent two years playing minor league baseball in
Tacoma, with the Tacoma Giants in 1963 and then with the Tacoma Twins in 1972,
the first year of Tacoma’s affiliation with Minnesota.
In 1962,
he was named the Texas League Player of the Year with the El Paso Sun Kings (Giants
farm team) after batting .335 with 29 home runs and 130 runs batted in, earning
his first trip to the majors with San Francisco.
A
6-foot-2-inch, 195-pound outfielder, he batted and threw right-handed and was
traded to the Washington Senators in December 1966 in a transaction that sent
future 1967 National League Cy Young Award winner Mike McCormick to the Giants.
Peterson's best MLB season came with Washington in 1967, when he batted .240
with eight home runs and 46 RBI in a career-high 122 games.
"He's
a tough out," former Washington Senators manager Gil Hodges said of
Peterson. "He's the sort of batter you want in there when you have to stay
in the ball game. You know he won't quit."
That
won't-quit mentality carried through both on and off the field for Peterson,
who battled a kidney disorder that eventually led to his early death in 1980 at
the age of 37. Prior to his death, he continued his studies at Pacific Lutheran University and earned a bachelor of arts degree from PLU in 1973. He also worked with the Tacoma
Elks Lodge, Lakewood Rotary Club, Lakewood Chamber of Commerce and the local
Lutheran church. He and his wife, Liz, had three children: twin daughters Julie
and Jane and son Andy (or Cap, Jr.).
Stan
Naccarato, general manager of the Tacoma Tigers who signed Peterson to the
Tacoma Twins in 1972 said Peterson was "a fine person, and he touched all
those he met."
WIKIPEDIA ABOUT CAP PETERSON
Charles
Andrew "Cap" Peterson (August 15, 1942 – May 16, 1980) was an
American Major League Baseball player. An outfielder who appeared in eight MLB
seasons, he played with the San Francisco Giants from 1962 to 1966, the
Washington Senators from 1967 to 1968, and the Cleveland Indians in 1969.
He split time between left field and right field over the course of his career. He was known as "Cap" from the initials of his name. Born in Tacoma, Washington, Peterson batted and threw right-handed, stood 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) and weighed 195 pounds (88 kg).
He split time between left field and right field over the course of his career. He was known as "Cap" from the initials of his name. Born in Tacoma, Washington, Peterson batted and threw right-handed, stood 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) and weighed 195 pounds (88 kg).
Peterson
first came to the Giants in September 1962 after a stalwart season with the El
Paso Sun Kings of the Double-A Texas League, batting .335 with 29 home runs,
130 runs batted in and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.013. But he never
won a regular job with San Francisco and was traded to the Senators in December
1966 in a multi-player transaction that sent future 1967 National League Cy
Young Award winner Mike McCormick back to the Giants. Peterson appeared in a
career-high 122 games for the 1967 Senators, but he batted only .240 with eight
home runs and 46 RBI in 405 at bats. During the 1969 season with the Indians,
Peterson was reunited with Alvin Dark, the former Giants manager, and he served
as a reserve outfielder and pinch-hitter.
Overall,
he appeared in 536 MLB games, and batted .230, with 269 hits in 1,170 at
bats.
Peterson
played three years of Triple-A baseball after his MLB career ended, retiring
after the 1972 season to join his family's construction business. He died in
Tacoma at age 37 after suffering from kidney disease.
CAP
PETERSON IN THE NEWS
=Friday, June 17, 1960,
Portland Oregonian, Portland
Tacoma
Inks Bonus Baby
Giants Top
Bids for Prep Star
TACOMA,
Wash. (AP) – A 17-year-old high school shortstop who had a batting average of
.522 this spring was signed Thursday by the Pacific Coast League Tacoma Giants
for a bonus reportedly in the neighborhood of $90,000.
He is
Charles A. (Cap) Peterson, a 6-2 195-pound athlete newly graduated from Clover
Park High School.
The amount
of the bonus was not disclosed by the farm team of the National League San
Francisco Giants, but the estimate comes from scouts who were unsuccessful in
the bidding. One source said 13 teams tried to sign the youngster.
General
Manager W. D. (Rosy) Ryan of the Tacoma club said Peterson will be optioned to
a league of lower classification. It was believed he will go to Fresno of Class
C California League.
=June 21, 1960, United Press International
reported, "At Tacoma, the National League Giants scored twice in the ninth
to edge Tacoma. Tacoma's Cap Peterson, 17- year-old hometown boy who signed a
$80,000 "bonus' contract, made an impressive debut with a walk, a single
and a double in three trips to the plate."
=Wed. June 22, 1960, Seattle Times Night Sports Final said, “Last Wednesday, two weeks
after graduation from suburban Clover Park High School, Cap, a shortstop,
rejected 12 minor-league contracts. He accepted the 13th – with the San
Francisco Giants. A bonus – estimates vary – of about $65,000 was thrown in.”
That indicates he signed his professional baseball contact (perhaps in the
Peterson family home in Lakewood or in the Tacoma Giants offices in Cheney
Stadium in Tacoma) on Wednesday, June 15, 1960. Story follows:
Baseball Bonus Baby:
LIFETIME DREAM COMES TRUE
LIFETIME DREAM COMES TRUE
By Bob Schwarzmann, Seattle Times Sports Writer
TACOMA,
June 22, 1960—
What is
left when a dream, with icing, becomes reality? – at 17?
To Cap
Peterson, the answer is so obvious that the question amazed him.
All you do
is dream bigger.
Cap (from
his initials Charles Andrew Peterson) wanted to play baseball.
--12
Contracts Rejected
Last
Wednesday, two weeks after graduation from suburban Clover Park High School,
Cap, a shortstop, rejected 12 major-league contracts. He accepted the 13th
–with the San Francisco Giants. A bonus – estimated vary – of about $65,000 was
thrown in.
A car?
Clothes? Travel? What does a 17-year-old do with a huge bonus plus a salary?
Cap nodded
at his father, Charles J. Peterson, building contractor and former professional
baseball player for Tacoma and Lewiston, Idaho.
“Oh, he is
going to take care of that,” Cap said. “I’ve got to make the team.”
The
Petersons passed over two offers “a little higher” than the San Francisco bid.
“It was a
matter of geography,” the senior Peterson explained. Three of the Giants’ farm
teams – Tacoma (Class AAA), Salem (B) and Fresno (C) – are on the Pacific
Coast.
--Education
Was Problem
Timing was
a problem. Should Cap go to college, then play baseball? Should he sign now,
and possibly lose the incentive for additional education?
“If a
person has a desire to get a college education, he will go to college,” the
father said. “Does it matter to others if he graduates at 27 or 28?”
Young
Peterson is a “bonus baby” – a halfway inaccurate term. He has a bonus, but he
is not a valuable talent that has developed overnight.
Cap served
a longer “apprenticeship” than most doctors
“Cap
started when he was 5,” the father said. He played in Tiny Tad, Peewee, Bantam,
Midget, Junior, Senior, Legion, high-school and semi-pro leagues. (Last winter,
Peterson was the leading scorer and rebounder on Clover Park’s basketball
team.)
What will
San Francisco get for its money? A 195-pound, 6-foot 2/12-inch, hard-throwing,
good-fielding, swift infielder who is still growing.
--Cap Gets
2 Hits
The Bay
City club took a look at its new property in action Monday night. The Big
Giants and Tacoma’s Little Giants (who “own” Peterson’s contract) met in an
exhibition. Cap, playing for Tacoma, in his first professional role, tagged
major-league pitching for a double and single in two official trips to the
plate.
Cap will
begin his career in the California League. He will start for Fresno tomorrow
night against Stockton.
The road
to San Francisco’s Candlestick Park is long. It is rough. Hours of hot
practice. Constant pressure from other youngsters, who want the job as San
Francisco’s shortstop (and from veterans who want to keep it.) Hustle. Hotels.
Loneliness.
Why, Cap?
Why baseball?
“I hate
work.”
Photo
cutline THE RIGHT WAY? Cap Peterson gave batting instructions to his 5-year-old
brother, Randy, under the questioning gaze of their father, Charles J.
Peterson. Cap, a Clover High School shortstop, last week signed for a huge
bonus with the San Francisco Giants. He learned most of his baseball skills
from his father.
Photo
cutline NO HELP WANTED: Mrs. Thelma Peterson, an understanding mother, told her
son, Cap, 17, to “go play baseball” while she washed the dishes. Playing
baseball earned Cap a bonus – estimated at $65,000 or more – from the San
Francisco Giants. Seattle Times staff photos by Vic Condiotty
=How much money was in Cap’s
“bonus baby” professional baseball contract?
$90,000, Associated Press,
June 17, 1960
$65,000, Seattle Times, June
22, 1960
$80,000, United Press
International, June 21, 1960
$50,000, University of Puget
Sound Trail, 1963
$100,000, Tacoma Twins 1972 printed program
$100,000, Tacoma Twins 1972 printed program
$64,000, History of Lakewood
Rotary, 2006, posted 2011
=During San Francisco Giants organization 1961
spring training in Casa Grande, Ariz., Cap Peterson injured his ankle playing
for the Eugene Emerald’s, a Giants’ affiliate, and was switched to the
outfield.
=April 4, 1962, Eugene, Ore., Register-Guard, the Eugene Emeralds manager is quoted
saying he was “pleased with the improvement in the ankle injury suffered by Cap
Peterson last week.”
=April 17, 1961, Eugene, Ore., Register-Guard sports editor column, Cap is
mentioned: “Peterson is 18 years old, 6-3 and 190 pounds from Tacoma, Wash.,
who played his first season with Fresno last year, playing 74 games with a .928
fielding percentage and 40 double plays. He hit .289 with 12 doubles, 6 triples
and 4 homers while driving in 33 runs. Peterson, who was a basketball and
baseball letterman at Clover Park High, a good school district in the Tacoma
area, was signed after high school graduation for a considerable bonus and the
only player on the Emeralds roster of that status. He was on an all-star
semi-pro tournament team and last winter attended Pacific Lutheran, where on
Jan. 20 he suffered a badly sprained ankle in a gym class that still handicaps
him.”
=June 18, 1961, Phoenix, Ariz., Republic mentions “Cap Peterson, a brilliant
prospect who sprained an ankle last winter in basketball, never got started in
a look-see with the parent San Francisco Giants here this spring, and then had
a virus attack and more ankle miseries Now he's considered apt to be shelved
the whole summer. “
=A wire service story which appeared in the Roseburg, Oregon, News-Review on April
20, 1961, says “Cap Peterson, the heavy sticker bonus boy up from Fresno, will
be at shortstop. He had a tryout with the San Francisco Giants this spring, but
was handicapped by a sprained ankle from which he is now recovering.”
=March 9, 1961, Phoenix, Ariz., Republic says, “Cap Peterson, infielder who
reported with a sprained ankle the result of basketball, pulled a groin muscle
and will be held out a few days.”
=The July 12, 1961 Eugene, Ore., Register Guard includes that “Cap Peterson, the bonus
shortstop who was handicapped by a badly sprained ankle, is working out with
Tacoma but has not as yet been given the "green light."
=Nov. 14, 1963, Phoenix, Ariz., Republic
Versatile Cap Peterson Aims for Giant Lineup
By George Chrisman, Jr., Republic sports writer
Charles
Andrew Peterson, otherwise known as Cap, has set his cap for a spot on the
lineup of the San Francisco Giants.
What that
spot will be is anybody's guess. He's not a pitcher and he's not a catcher, but
there is no other position he cannot play well. The versatile player, he is a handyman
who can work at several positions, is a valuable asset to any major league
team. He can fill in for an injured player without appreciably lessening the
team's strength.
Cap, one
of the batting stars of the current Arizona Winter Instructional League,
originally was signed by the Giants as a shortstop, but last summer filled in
at second base on the big club and is carried on the winter league roster as an
outfielder.
''I'd
rather play second, third or short ... I feel I'm in the ball game," he
admits. "In the outfield I have a tendency to look around, stick my hand
in my hip pocket . . ."
This is
Cap's first session in winter play. Normally he attends Pacific Lutheran University
in the off-season.
His
options have been exhausted and the parent club will have to keep him on their
roster next season or run the risk of losing him in the draft.
He is
pleased there is an abundance of top-flight pitchers working in this league.
"Might
as well face good pitching here. I won't see bad pitching in the majors."
Peterson
has been doing well against instructional league twirlers. He’s hit them for a
.348 average, second only to the .383 of Chicago’s Nellie Mathews. Cap is the
circuit leader in doubles with seven, is tied with Mathews in hits with 23 and
teammate Tim Talton with 13 runs batted in.
Peterson,
a lean 195-pounder (he stands 6-2), anticipates no problem staying in shape
during the eat-and-grow-fat off-season. Charley Fox, manager of the Giants'
instructional league team, will be there to keep an eye on him.
Fox, named
to manage next season's Tacoma entry in the Pacific Coast League, will follow
Peterson to his river-side cabin outside Tacoma. There, they will get in some
road-work and play handball.
And. if
either remembers to bring along a baseball, they might even play a little
catch.
Photo
cutline: BASEBALL TALK-Charley Fox. left, manager of the San Francisco Giants
entry in the Arizona Winter Instructional League, and Cap Peterson,
multi-talented Giants' infielder-outfielder, talked baseball when this picture was taken. Their thoughts, however, probably were on their midwinter visit to
the Peterson vacation cabin the woods of Washington.
=Sept. 3, 1964, Daily Independent Journal of San Rafael, Calif., says Cap Peterson
was one of only two players ever to pinch-hit for San Francisco Giant Willie
Mays. “That was last year (1963) when Mays collapsed at the plate at
Candlestick Park.” At the time, Mays was the highest paid player in professional
baseball.
=Attending Pacific
Lutheran University during off seasons and after retiring from
professional baseball, Cap Peterson graduated from PLU on May 27, 1973, on the
PLU campus in Parkland with a bachelor of arts degree in physical education.
=AP story in Newport
News, Va., Daily Press on May 20, 1980, said Cap “wound up his career with
Tacoma of the Pacific Coast League in 1973. After his pro career ended,
Peterson joined the family construction business and became president of
Peterson Building Company.”
=Associated
Press (AP) story appeared on May 20, 1980, in Florida Today of Cocoa, Florida, and the Bloomington, Illinois, Pantagraph and other newspapers: TACOMA,
Wash. (AP) - Charles A. "Cap" Peterson, who played in the major
leagues from 1962 through 1969, is dead following a lengthy illness caused by
kidney problems. He was 37. Peterson, a utilityman who played both the infield
and outfield, died Friday at St. Joseph Hospital.
FACTS
ABOUT CAP PETERSON
Based on
info at 1965topps (dot) blogspot (dot) com /2010
-He was
named Player of the Year of the AA Texas League in 1962, when he hit .335 with
34 doubles, 29 home runs, 130 RBI, and a 1.013 OPS for the El Paso Sun Kings.
He debuted with the Giants that September, shortly after his 20th birthday.
-Cap hit
.259 in a few short stints totaling 22 games in 1963. The highlight was a May
30 game against Cincinnati in which he went 3-for-5 with the first two
extra-base hits of his career, a home run and a double.
-He spent
the next three seasons as a backup outfielder for the Giants, batting .233 in
that span while Willie Mays, the Alous, and Len Gabrielson got the lion's share
of playing time.
-A trade
to the Senators allowed Peterson to play in a career-high 122 games in 1967. He
hit .240 (the league average was .236 and the Sens batted .223 as a team) with
17 doubles, 8 home runs, and 46 RBI.
-May 30
must have been Cap's lucky day: four years to the day that he had hit his first
double and home run, he hit his only career walk-off home run. It came on May
30, 1967, in the second game of a doubleheader against the A's. With two outs
in the bottom of the 11th inning, Cap took Jack Aker deep for a 4-3 Senators
victory.
-Two weeks
later, the outfielder went 4-for-9 with two homers and three RBI against the
White Sox in a game that Washington pulled out in 22 innings (!). Both home
runs came in the early stages of the game, and both were hit against Joel
Horlen, who would go 19-7 with a league-best 2.06 ERA that season. In the 22nd
inning, Peterson singled in the midst of the game-winning rally; Mike Epstein
came up after him and was intentionally walked to load the bases, at which
point Paul Casanova singled to end the 6 hour, 38 minute slog.
-Cap hit .204 in 1968 and finished his big league career as a part-timer in
Cleveland the following year. He spent the next three years in the
minors before retiring from pro baseball in 1972. In parts of eight seasons he had a
.230 average, 19 home runs, and 122 RBI.
CAP PETERSON WORKED FOR
PIERCE COUNTY PARKS & RECREATION DEPT.
“Cap also worked briefly for
the Pierce County Parks & Recreation Department upon his retirement from
baseball. That is where I got to know Cap as I was working part-time for the
department while attending UPS and then the UW,” said Marc Blau of Tacoma
Pierce-County Baseball-Softball Oldtimers Assn.
BASEBALL
FIELDS IN LAKEWOOD NAMED FOR CHARLES PETERSON, FATHER OF CAP PETERSON
=Lakewood
Rotary clears up two points of confusion related to Cap:
1--The
Lakewood Rotary-built ‘Charles Peterson Fields’ (1 and 2) at the City of Lakewood’s
Fort Steilacoom Park are not named for Cap Peterson. They are named for his
father, Charles Joseph Peterson (also known as Charlie and Pete), first member
in 1956 of the new Lakewood Rotary Club. The book (2014) Legendary Locals of
Lakewood, Washington by Steve Dunkelberger and Walter Neary includes a photo
(courtesy of Lakewood Rotary) with this cutline: “Seen here at Fort Steilacoom
Park are, from left to right, Cap Peterson, Charlie Peterson, Harold Carlson,
and Rudy Tollefson. The park has baseball fields thanks to the Lakewood Rotary.
Charlie Peterson was a builder by trade and baseball coach by passion. He died
in March 1973. The Lakewood Rotary raised $12,000 to build baseball field at Fort
Steilacoom that bear his name to this day.”
2--Cap Peterson
had and died of kidney disease. He received excellent renal care from his nephrologist,
Dr. John A. Kennedy, at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma. Lakewood Rotarians
raised money to help build the John A. Kennedy Renal Dialysis Center. Rotarians
wanted the center named for Cap, but Cap insisted it be named for Dr. Kennedy.
So, the center is named for Dr. Kennedy, not Cap. The center opened after Cap
died, but fund-raising and/or plans to fund-raise for it started before Cap
died.
CAP PETERSON REMEMBERD BY RICK AUSTIN
“Cap was
five years older than me. When my Dad (Gerry Austin, then Clover Park football
coach, later Lakes football coach) was still at Clover Park, we’d go to the CP
baseball field to watch Cap play with a dozen professional baseball scouts
watching him from the bleachers,” said Rick.
“From
time to time during our professional careers we would run into each other, or
see each other back in Tacoma, and Cap always was friendly, interested in how I
was doing and treated me with respect. Cap was a class act.”
MORE ABOUT
CAP
Cap
Peterson’s Major League career (1962-1969) as an outfielder and pinch-hitter
was with the Giants, Washington Senators and Cleveland Indians and minor league
teams including teams in California, Oregon (Eugene), Texas, Kansas, and
Tacoma, both the Giants and the Twins. However, he started as an infielder, but
was injured and changed to the outfield during the time Willie Mays was playing
outfield for the Giants.
Cap’s last professional season was in 1972 with the Tacoma Twins playing home games in Cheney Stadium. And, his last professional game was Sept. 4, 1972, in a 12-1 win by the Twins over Hawaii at Cheney Stadium.
Dealing
with health issues due to kidney disease his entire professional baseball
career, he retired from baseball in 1972.
CHARLIE PETERSON, CAP’S FATHER, PLAYED PRO BASEBALL
Charlie
Peterson info from 2006. Source: History of Lakewood Rotary.
It’s
rather difficult to tell whether Charlie Peterson is hitting a home run,
catching a steelhead, or actually dancing when he’s on the dance floor.
Charlie,
a.k.a. Pete, was a large man, 62 and over 230 lbs., with hands so large they
would smother others in a handshake. He
was a builder by trade, a baseball coach by avocation. As a Rotarian, he was notoriously late to
meetings, or absent. This came at a time
when 91% club attendance for the month was considered unacceptable, and when
non-attendees were regularly chastised in the bulletin for their sin of
non-attendance. Charlie was not overly
concerned with such things, he didn’t care if you cared, and no one was about
to challenge him on this. Everyone knew
the situation: Congratulations to Charlie Peterson. He spent the entire meeting with the group
and was not the last to arrive read the bulletin on November 29, 1957. When Charlie did arrive, everyone knew it. Big in size was he, but bigger in
presence. There are some people who can
enter a room, and you know they’re there even if you don’t see them. Charlie was like that.
The first
fund raiser of consequence that was repeated was an Old Timers Baseball Game,
organized by Charlie. He got radio and
television coverage, and the club sold over $700 worth of tickets/buttons in
1956. In 1957, they raised over $1200, and in 1958, they made over $2000. It was understood, because Charlie expected
so, that all the money would go to youth sports in the area. The bulletin reported once, Charlie Peterson
had no report on our kids rec baseball team for once. Youth baseball was by far
his overriding passion. He was on the
first board of directors, but was never president of the club. Virtually all of the major movers and shakers
of Lakewood Rotary have eventually served as president. There have been
exceptions, and Charlie was the first.
He moved, he shook, and Lakewood Rotary moved forward.
On
February 18, 1966, the first retreat was held.
The Toutle River vacation home of Charlie was the location for many
years. At that first social gathering
were Charlie, Rudy Tollefson, Howard Williams, Jim Rediske, and unidentified
others. Steelhead salmon were caught,
cards were played and gambling money exchanged, cigarettes were smoked by the
carton, and much liquor was imbibed. It
was boys’ night out from the beginning, and the event stayed that way for
decades.
Charlie
and Thelma had two sons, Cap (Charles A. Peterson) and Randy. Both played professional baseball, and both
were Lakewood Rotarians. It was Cap who
galvanized the club in the late 1950s, as they followed his exploits in the
minor leagues, and then the majors. From
September 18, 1959, came the following bulletin report: It seems that we may
lose two other members, namely Pete Peterson and Bob Bernnard. It appears that these two guys, along with
Cliff Olson, took a fast trip to San Francisco to watch Pete’s son, Cap, work
out with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Cap did a fine job and I know his dad is mighty
proud of him, but both Pete and Bob are rather large in places and they both
tried to sit in the same seat on a United Airlines DC6. The airline is suing them for destroying
private property. Since both of these men
are not too well fixed financially, they may have to spend a few months on a
county prison farm, working out their debt to United and working off a few
pounds from the right places. We will
miss you. The bulletin writer was
kidding, of course. About most of it,
anyway. At a subsequent meeting, Charlie
was fined $21 for mentioning Caps name 21 times during the meeting.
Cap signed
with the San Francisco Giants organization in 1960, after receiving offers from
12 other major league teams in the Peterson home. He signed for a staggering $64,000
(reportedly), a huge amount at that time.
The bulletin continued to report regularly on his progress: Latest word from Fresno is that Cap Peterson
is batting .500, including a home run.
Big News! Cap was just honored as
1962 Texas League Player of the Year. Also in n 1962, Cap made it to the SF
Giants, the youngest player in the major leagues that year.
He didn’t
qualify to play in the World Series with the Giants, but he gave first hand
reports to the Club. He was installed as
an Honorary Member of Lakewood Rotary that year. Reports on his hitting prowess continued to
be a regular bulletin item, including a 1967 report that began, Did you hear
how Cap Peterson broke into the Senators lineup?! 3 for 4 with two home runs and 5 RBIs!
Wow!
Cap
finished his career in 1969, stopped by kidney disease. His best year in the major leagues was 1967
with the Washington Senators: .240 batting average in 122 games, with 8 home
runs, 46 RBIs. In the grand scheme,
these statistics are probably not that great, but to the members of Lakewood
Rotary, he was their guy, and they loved both him and his baseball
success. And he was Charlie’s boy.
Charlie
Peterson died in March of 1973. Rudy
Tollefson and Charlie had gone to the Toutle a day early to get ready for the
Rotary event there. That evening Harry
Mansfield, Jim Walter and some others arrived late in the evening. Hearing no answer to his calls, Harry walked
in and went upstairs to Charlie’s room, and found him dead. Shook up, Harry walked out of the room only
to discover white haired Rudy walking out of another bedroom, in a white
nightgown no less, looking like a ghost.
It was a devastating evening in every way.
Over
$12,000 was raised for a scholarship fund in his name. Soon thereafter, the club made plans for another
memorial: baseball fields at Ft.
Steilacoom Park. The club contributed
$10,000 for this, along with physical work in the construction of the fields. They were dedicated on June 14, 1975, and
thousands of kids have played baseball there since. Charlie would be happy.
Cap died
on May 16, 1980, at the age of 37, of a staph infection related to his
treatment for kidney disease. Two days
after his death on May 18 came the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. When the mudflows hit the Toutle River, the
Peterson family vacation home so loved by both Pete and Cap was destroyed by
the flood.
Charlie and Cap Peterson info dated Sept 14,
2012, from History of Lakewood Rotary
There have
been frequent references over the years to the baseball fields at Ft. Steilacoom
Park, built by Lakewood Rotary, as "Cap Peterson Fields." This is incorrect. Here's the story: Back in 1956, Charlie Peterson was the first
member recruited for a new Rotary club in Lakewood. Charlie was a local builder, and a real
character. He was the spearhead behind
many early projects, usually related in one way or another to baseball. When Charlie died in 1973, the Club honored
him by committing to the finance and building of the baseball fields at Ft.
Steilacoom Park. So they are the Charles
Peterson Fields, NOT Cap Peterson Fields.
Cap
Peterson was Charlie's oldest son (Charles A Peterson: initials equal
Cap). Cap was a baseball prodigy. After graduating from Clover Park High
School, he was a "Bonus Baby", receiving from the San Francisco
Giants a large bonus to sign ($64,000, or the equivalent of about $500,000
today). He promptly became the Texas
League Player of the Year, and made his big league debut at the age of 19. Cap
played with Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry, Orlando
Cepeda, Don Larsen, and fellow Lakewood Rotarian, Ron Herbel (Cap was an
Honorary Lakewood Rotarian). He played in the big leagues from 1962-69, with
his best year being 1967, when he played 122 games alongside big Frank Howard (Howard
in left, Cap in right). But Cap played
his entire career with kidney disease, and it forced an early retirement. Mike
McGowan and Ron Herbel were not happy with the quality of local care he was
getting during his dialysis treatments, and convinced the club to raise
$175,000 towards a renal dialysis center.
Cap insisted it be named after his doctor, John A Kennedy. The club
ended up raising over $253,000 (almost $600,000 in today's dollars!!).
More
Peterson history: Before there was the
Packwood Retreat, there was the Toutle Retreat, held at the Peterson's
"cabin" on the Toutle River. Lots of drinking and card playing and
fishing. Two days after Cap died from kidney disease, Mt. St. Helens erupted,
sending huge mud flows down the Toutle. The Peterson cabin was sent down the
river, along with much of their property.
And that,
as they say, is the rest of the story.
The committee voted to approve the raising and spending of $175,000 towards the construction of the $1.5 million John A. Kennedy Renal Dialysis Center. The committee wanted a wing named after Cap, but Cap had insisted otherwise, preferring it be named for his doctor, Dr. Kennedy. The club voted to give $35,000 per year for five years, with $10,000 per year coming from outside sources.
Obituary of Charles Joseph Peterson, Cap’s
father
Thursday, March
1, 1973
Centralia,
Washington, Chronicle
(Edited in 2018)
Charles Joseph
Peterson, 57, a former resident of Centralia, Washington, died early Wednesday, Feb 28,
1973, while staying at his family’s cabin in the Toutle River (Cowlitz County, Washington) area. He was born
Dec. 29, 1915, in Reliance, Wyoming, and had lived on Summa Street in Centralia
for many years, prior to moving to Tacoma. He is survived by his widow, Thelma,
Tacoma; two sons, Charles and Randy, both of Tacoma; two brothers, Henry,
Centralia, and Ben, Tacoma; and two sisters, Catherine, Seattle, and Elizabeth,
Olympia. Services will be at noon Friday at the Mountain View Cemetery in Lakewood. Arrangements are under the direction of the Valley Chapel, Tacoma
RANDY
PETERSON, CAP PETERSON’S BROTHER, PLAYED PRO BASEBALL, TOO
While The
Baseball Cube website is an excellent source, it’s not perfect. For example,
TBC info about Clover Park does not include Randy Peterson, Cap’s younger
brother. A 1973 Clover Park High grad, Randy signed with the New York Mets
organization and played minor league ball. TBC incorrectly shows Randy, who
died July 19, 2017, attending Warren High
School in Downey, Calif. Correctly, it shows Randy playing at Green River Community
College in Auburn before signing in 1974 with the Mets after the Mets selected
him the same year in the Amateur Entry Draft. Incorrectly it shows Randy being
picked in the 1970 draft by Cleveland. Cap and Randy’s father, Charles Joseph
Peterson, also known as Charlie and as Pete. Cap and Randy were guided in their
early baseball playing days by their father, who was a talented pro baseball
player in Tacoma and Lewiston, Idaho, according to the Seattle Times.
RANDY
PETERSON, HALL OF FAME, Tacoma-Pierce County Baseball-Softball Oldtimers
Randy
Peterson’s success on the baseball diamond carried him from league titles in
junior high all the way into the minor leagues in the New York Mets system.
Born Jan. 25, 1955, in Tacoma, Peterson graduated from Clover Park High School
in 1973. He went on to attend Green River Community College and Pacific
Lutheran University.
As a
two-year captain of the Lochburn Junior High baseball team, Peterson helped
lead the Lions to the 1969 Lakewood Midget League title with a 14-0 record.
Once he reached high school, he was an SPSL All-Star in 1972 and 1973 and MVP
of the Tacoma All-Star feeder game in 1973. He also helped lead Clover Park to
a second-place finish in the 1973 state playoffs.
Scout Marv
Scott signed Peterson to play in the New York Mets organization in 1974 when
Peterson was a 6-foot, 3-inch 19-year-old. He spent the 1974 season with the
Batavia Trojans in the Class A High Rookie League, where he was a teammate with
World Series-winning Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost. In 1975, Peterson
played with Visalia of the Class A California League.
Peterson
also spent time playing baseball at Green River Community College and with the
Lakewood Royals (1976-81) and Rotary squads, helping attain several
championships. He has played with countless well-known local players over the
years between his time with Clover Park HS, the Lakewood Royals and Lakewood
Rotary teams. He played for coach Chris Cherbas at Lochburn, Merle Hagbo at Clover
Park and Ron Hopkins at Green River.
Peterson
came from a baseball family, with his father Charles playing
semi-professionally and his older brother Charles “Cap” reaching the Major
Leagues with the San Francisco Giants after signing out of high school. Cap
played for the Giants (1962-66), Washington Senators (1967-68) and Cleveland
Indians (1969), all while his younger brother Randy was growing up and aspiring
to be a ballplayer himself.
Obituary of Randy Peterson, Clover Park Class of
1973, brother of Cap Peterson
July 30,
2017
Tacoma News Tribune
Randolph George Peterson Randy (Pete) Peterson
died July 19, 2017, at the age of 62 after a courageous battle against cancer.
Randy was born on January 25, 1955 in Tacoma, to Charlie and Thelma Peterson.
He was the beloved little brother of Charles "Cap" Peterson and is
predeceased by all of them. Randy is survived by his wife Debbie of 40 years,
son Jeff Peterson and daughter Jennifer Peterson. He is also survived by his
sister-in-law Elizabeth Peterson and brother-in-law Steve Weber (Kathy), nieces
Julie Hersey (Jack), Jane Peterson, Anne Simmons (Ben) and nephews Charles
Peterson (Lorrie), Bobby Weber, Jordan Weber (Jamie) and in-laws Robert and
Arlene Weber. The family would like to thank all those who provided for Randy's
care including Dr. Jorge Chavez, the staff at Northwest Specialties, Dr. Tommy
Brown and the nurses at St. Joseph Hospital. A celebration of Randy's life will
take place at the Lady Luck's Cowgirl Up Steak House & Saloon in Spanaway
on Saturday, Aug. 19th, at 1:00 PM.
Additional Cap Peterson info added 7/14/2018:
Cap Peterson is on the San Francisco Giants roster in the 1963 National League ‘Green Book.’
Additional Cap Peterson info added 7/14/2018:
Cap Peterson is on the San Francisco Giants roster in the 1963 National League ‘Green Book.’
His roster
info as an infielder:
#17 Cap Peterson, Hits right, Throws right
1962 Clubs:
El Paso
Sun Kings = 136 games, 526 at bats, 176 hits, 315 total bases, 29 home runs,
130 runs batted in, .335 batting average
SF Giants
= 4 games, 6 at bats, 1 hit, 1 total bases, 0 home runs, 0 runs batted in, .167
batting average.
BILL
MURPHY
Clover
Park Class of 1962
Bill
Murphy signed a professional baseball contract soon after graduating from
Clover Park High School in 1962.
According
to Central Press Sports, he signed a professional contract in 1962 with the New
York Yankees. On Nov. 29, 1965, he was drafted by the New York Mets from the
New York Yankees in the 1965 rule 5 draft. Baseball Almanac said he was 21
years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 15, 1966, with the New
York Mets.
Bill now
lives in University Place, Washington.
BILL MURPHY, HALL OF FAME, Tacoma-Pierce
County Baseball-Softball Oldtimers
Born in
Pineville, Louisiana, in 1944, Bill Murphy graduated from Clover Park High
School before reaching the Major Leagues with the New York Mets.
Murphy, a right-handed hitting outfielder, played under Holly Gee at Clover Park and was signed as an amateur free agent by the New York Yankees out of high school. Following four seasons in the Yankees’ minor league system, he was taken by the Mets in the 1965 Rule 5 Draft.
A 6-foot-1, 190-pound outfielder, Murphy made his Major League debut for the Mets on April 15, 1966. He appeared in 84 games that season, batting .230 in 135 at-bats with three home runs, 13 runs batted in and one stolen base. He played 106 games for the Seattle Angels of the Pacific Coast League in 1967 and closed out his career in 1970.
WIKIPEDIA
ABOUT BILL MURPHY
William
Eugene Murphy [Billy] (born May 7, 1944 in Pineville, Louisiana) is a former
Major League Baseball outfielder. He played in 84 games for the New York Mets
in 1966, mostly as a center fielder and a pinch hitter.[1] He had a batting
average of .230 in 135 at bats, with 3 home runs and 13 runs batted in.
Murphy
signed with the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1962.He was
drafted by the Mets after the 1965 season in the Rule 5 Draft, after four
seasons in the Yankees minor league system.
BILL
MURPHY IN THE NEWS
= Baseball’s Future Book: N. Y. Mets’ Bill Murphy
Edited
version of article by Walter L. Johns, Central Press Sports Editor, which
appeared in the Gaffney, South Carolina,
Ledger on April 1, 1966. It also ran in the Cumberland, Maryland, News on March 23, 1966, and in other
newspapers.
ST.
PETERSBURG, Florida -- You wouldn't think that a man who was in the New York
Yankee chain would welcome a chance to be with the lowly New York Mets.
But
William Eugene Murphy, 21-year-old outfielder with the Mets, does just that
"I think that it's great that I'm here," he told us in camp here.
"I think I can make this another …Series club and it would be so much better
than playing in the minors as a Yankee hand."
The
Mets drafted (him) for $25,000 last November after he had turned in a good
effort for Binghamton, where he batted .291 and hit 18 home runs in 99 games It
was his fifth minor league club since the Yankees signed him in 1962 and
started him off at Harlan, The Mets will have to keep Murphy this year or lose
him and "Murph the Surf," as he is called, feels that he'll be
playing, and not just sitting on the bench.
One
of seven children of a career Army man, Bill was born in Pineville, Louisiana,
but has lived most of his life in Tacoma.
He
was a three-sport star at Clover Park High in Tacoma and was signed by Eddie
Taylor of the Yanks for $8,000 bonus right out of high school. Last autumn he
attended one semester at the University of Puget Sound and plans to continue
his education in business management. He has a regular off-season job as a
men's clothing salesman in a department store in Tacoma.
Bill
started off as an infielder but moved to the outfield when he played at Idaho
Falls in 1963. Murphy was out of action for more than a month when he cut his
leg in a slide and because the team had no trainer available he did the
patch-up job himself, He wound up with blood poisoning and was in a hospital
for three weeks.
=Murphy’s Bat Clamoring for A Mets’ Berth
By Barney Kremenko
The Sporting News of St. Louis, Missouri
July 9, 1966
NEW
YORK, N. Y. --
In
the changing world of the Mets’ rookie Bill Murphy, barely give a chance in
spring training, could wind up as the regular center fielder by season’s end.
No less an authority than Wesley Noreen Westrum, the club’s manager, says so.
At
the moment, the 22-year-old Murphy has worked his way into a platoon job,
operating against left-handed pitching. But he has the manager wondering
whether he doesn’t deserve more.
“For
all I know, he might hit righthanders better than lefthanders,” Westrum said,
“He got a home run off of Tony Cloninger of the Braves in Atlanta that was a
tape-measure job. I don’t see how I can keep him on the bench against anybody
if he can hit the ball that way.”
“That
kid’s coming.”
When
Murphy plays, Cleon Jones, who is the Mets’ leading candidate for National
League rookie-of-the-year honors, shifts to right. Otherwise, Jones plays
center.
Drafted from Yank Farm
Murphy,
born in Louisiana, but raised in Tacoma, Wash., was drafted by the Mets from
the Yankee organization at the major league meeting last winter.
Billy,
now 22, wasn’t very much in the Mets’ Florida camp, batting no more than .067
on 1-for-15 through the exhibitions. When he was brought north with the squad,
there were many raised eyebrows.
“We
couldn’t option him out without first offering him back to the Yankees for half
the draft price.” Westrum explained. “We didn’t want to risk that, so we kept
him.”
Murphy
first caught the eye of the Mets in a game against the Giants, May 13, at Shea
Stadium. Jim Hickman broke a wrist in an early inning and the youngster was
pressed into service.
In
his first time up in the game, Billy, before a crowd of 56,658, showed
absolutely no sign of nervousness, slamming a three-run homer off Ray Sadecki,
the Giants southpaw.
Fouled Up on Bases
He
got two more hits in that game, but, later on, pulled a costly rock by running
past second to third when there was already a man on third.
“That’s
strictly inexperience,” insisted Westrum. “This kid has the tools and he’ll
learn. That’s why I don’t want to hurry him and am limited him to platoon work.
But by the year of the year, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him ready to play
every day.”
It
was Clyde McCullough, the former catcher who manages for the Auburn farm in the
New York-Penn League who recommended Murphy be drafted. McCullough saw the kid
play for the rival Binghampton club last year. Murphy batted .291 for
Binghampton.
As
a fielder, he has range, speed and a tremendous arm. He led the league with 13
outfield assists. …
MORE
BILL MURPHY IN THE NEWS
--First Major League hit for Bill Murphy was May 13, 1966, in a game he played for the Mets on May 13, 1966, at New York’s Shea Stadium versus the San Francisco Giants. Story in May 14, 1966, New York Times said, “… Bill Murphy, a 22-years-old rookie, made his first hit in the major leagues in the fourth inning – a three-run home off Ray Sadecki, who started for San Francisco against Jack Hamilton.”
--A
July 19, 1966, story in the Baytown, Texas, Sun, reported on the Huston Astros
losing a doubleheader in New York to the New York Mets. It was the first time
in the Mets' five-year history that the Mets won consecutive doubleheaders.
Story said, "Billy Murphy delivered a two-out single that scored Chuck
Miller with the winning run during an eighth inning New York rally in the
opener."
--An Aug. 21, 1966, United Press International story with a Philadelphia dateline said, "Tony Gonzalez singled Bill White home from second base with two out in the 11th inning Saturday to give the Philadelphia Phillies a 5-4 victory over the Mets (on Aug. 20, 1966), their second extra-inning win over the New Yorkers in two days. "The finish came just after Bill Murphy, Mets center fielder, made an amazing glove-hand back to the plate catch off Richie Allen as he crashed into the center field wall 430 feet from home plate for the second out of the inning ..." A fan at the game said in 2004,
"I remember a sensational catch by Billy Murphy as he crashed against the wall in left-center. He was hurt on the play and wound up out of action for a while."
--In a game Aug. 30, 1966, at Shea Stadium in New York, the New York Mets beat the Los Angeles Dodgers and its pitcher Sandy Koufax, 10-4. Game story in New York Times, Aug. 31, 1966, said “The Mets scored one run off Koufax in their half of the second on three walks and a single by Billy Murphy.”
Former Yankees minor league OF Billy
Murphy was born May 7, 1944. "In 1962, the Yankees signed Billy Murphy, as
an MLB amateur free agent. He never played for the Yankees at the MLB level. On
November 29, 1965, he was drafted by the New York Mets from the Yankees
organization in the 1965 MLB Rule 5 player draft," said This Date in
Yankees History. The date he was drafted as a Rule 5 player was Nov. 29, 1965.
BILL
MURPHY IN PHOTOS
Cutline for photo in July 1,
1966, New York Times - GETTING SHORT
SHRIFT: Billy Murphy of Mets heads for first as Chris Short, right, Phils’
pitcher, moves in on his grounder in fourth at Shea Stadium. Short threw to
Bill White (10), first baseman, for out. Clay Dalrymple is the catcher, Lee
Weyer the umpire. Photo by Larry Morris.
Cutline for Associated Press photo which ran newspapers in
June 1966. DOWN GOES THE UMP – Down goes umpire Ed Sudol as ball almost beans him on wild throw from pitcher Ted Abernathy of the Braves to Felix Millan (11) covering first base. New York Mets Bill Murphy slides back in to the base after he was caught off base when Ron Hunt tried to sacrifice bunt but popped up Abernathy. Murphy went on to score the winning run to beat the Braves, 5-4. (AP) Game was played June 15, 1966, in Atlanta. Murphy was a pinchhitter in the game. Among newspapers in which the photo ran was the News-Herald of Willoughby, Ohio. It appeared in that paper on June 16, 1966.
ANOTHER
BILL MURPHY BASEBALL BIO
Part of a
military family -- his father was stationed at U.S. Army Fort Lewis -- Bill
Murphy signed his professional contract with the New York Yankees on
recommendation of Yank scout Eddie Taylor.
His full
name William Eugene Murphy, also known as Billy Murphy and “Murph the Surf.”
Initially an infielder, he was moved to the outfield and also was a pinch-hitter. Bill started his professional career (1962-1966) started with Harlan, Kentucky, of the Appalachian League. That team was a Yankees-Chicago White Sox affiliate.
From
1963-1965 he was with minor league teams in Idaho, Florida, North Carolina, New
York as well as playing in the Florida Instructional League.
His hard
work as a fielder and good hitter got him to the Major Leagues with the new
(founded in 1962) New York Mets in 1966 following a good showing in Mets’
Spring Training that year in St. Petersburg, Flora. He played 86 games with the
Mets. At that time, the Mets’ home games were in Shea Stadium.
After his
Mets tenure, he returned to the minors, playing in Seattle (Angels), Florida, Arkansas,
and Oklahoma. He was also on the Portland and Tacoma (Cubs) rosters before
retiring from baseball in 1970.
A
University of Puget Sound alum, he lives in University Place, Wash.
FROM THIS
DATE IN YANKEE HISTORY
Former
Yankees minor league OF Billy Murphy was born May 7, 1944. "In 1962, the
Yankees signed Billy Murphy, as an MLB amateur free agent. He never played for
the Yankees at the MLB level. On November 29, 1965, he was drafted by the New
York Mets from the Yankees organization in the 1965 MLB Rule 5 player
draft," said This Date in Yankees History. The date he was drafted as a
Rule 5 player was Nov. 29, 1965.
BILL
MURPHY, RICK AUSTIN AMONG MLB PLAYERS NOT VESTED
Among
approximately 500 former Major League Baseball players not vested in the MLB
pension plan are Bill Murphy and Rick Austin. Why? They both played MLB before
1980. At URL link below, see story posted March 13, 2017, by the Suburban
Times. In the story only Bill is mentioned, however, Bill and Rick are among
the about 500 players impacted:
https://thesubtimes.com/2017/03/13/73044
RICK AUSTIN ABOUT BILL MURPHY
Rick Austin Bill Murphy (Clover Park), Ron Cey (Mount Tahoma of Tacoma) and Steve Whitaker (Lincoln of Tacoma), all of whom played Major League Baseball. “We used to be in the same U.S. Army Reserve unit in Tacoma during our baseball careers. Bill was also a very good basketball player at Clover Park,” Rick said. (Whitaker and Cey with Pilots and Dodgers jerseys respectively.)
RICK AUSTIN ABOUT BILL MURPHY
Rick Austin Bill Murphy (Clover Park), Ron Cey (Mount Tahoma of Tacoma) and Steve Whitaker (Lincoln of Tacoma), all of whom played Major League Baseball. “We used to be in the same U.S. Army Reserve unit in Tacoma during our baseball careers. Bill was also a very good basketball player at Clover Park,” Rick said. (Whitaker and Cey with Pilots and Dodgers jerseys respectively.)
Rick Austin
Lakes Class of 1965
A Lakes High School graduate, Rick Austin signed a professional baseball contract with the Cleveland Indians after his junior year attending/competing in baseball for Washington State University in Pullman, Washington.
A member of the WSU Athletics Hall of Fame, he was 23 years old when he broke into the big leagues on June
21, 1970, with the Cleveland Indians. In addition to Cleveland, he also played
MLB for the Milwaukee Brewers, says Baseball Almanac.
Rick now lives in Kansas City, Missouri.
RICK AUSTIN, HALL OF FAME,
Tacoma-Pierce County Baseball-Softball Oldtimers
Edited in 2018
Edited in 2018
From being the first starting quarterback ever for Lakes High
School, to beating Mickey Lolich and the Detroit Tigers, Rick Austin's athletic
career spanned far and wide.
This was followed by two seasons (1967 and 1968) of varsity baseball playing for the Bobo Brayton-coached WSU Cougars before being drafted in the first round, with the sixth overall selection, by the Cleveland Indians in 1968. In just his second start in the majors on June 27, 1970, Austin, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound left-hander for the Indians, threw a five-hit shutout against the Tigers, going the full nine innings in the 3-0 victory in Detroit. He struck out eight and walked three in the convincing victory for the 23-year-old.
His pro career included two years with the Indians and then
two years with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1975-1976. He spent the 1974 season
with the Hankyu Braves of the Japanese Baseball League. Austin's overall MLB
record was 4-8 with a 4.63 earned-run average and 106 strikeouts in 136
innings. His best season statistically was with the Brewers in 1975 when he appeared
in 32 games and went 2-3 with a 4.05 ERA.
That pro career followed one of the most spectacular prep and
collegiate careers in the history of the South Puget Sound. At Washington
State, Austin still holds the career ERA record at 1.19. He posted a 1.33 ERA
in 1967, which included a no-hitter in a 1-0 victory over Lewis-Clark State.
In 1968, he lowered that to 1.10 and tossed a perfect game in
a 5-0 victory against Gonzaga. In all, he had four shutouts in his two years at
WSU and posted a career record of 18-4 with 144 strikeouts in 166 innings. He
won the Buck Bailey Award as the WSU team's top pitcher in 1968 (after sharing
the award the year before) and was named Team MVP, All-Northern Division and
second-team All-American.
Austin also was a member of the Cheney Studs during their national runner-up season.
Austin was at Lakes High when it opened in 1962, without a
senior class. He was the starting quarterback for three years, playing for his
father, coach Gerry Austin. Gerry was also the athletic director, and in that
role, selected the team colors of burnt orange and blue with little outside
input because time was tight to get uniforms ordered before the first game. The
team nickname, the Lancers, was selected from a vote of the students.
Austin earned All-State honors in football and baseball for
the Lancers, and also played basketball, which he did on the freshman team at
WSU as well. He was nearly untouchable as a high school senior on the baseball
diamond. Playing for Ron Storaasli's 1965 Puget Sound League champions, he
posted an unbeaten record on the mound and compiled a 0.21 earned run average.
When he wasn't pitching, he roamed left field and hit .375 for the season.
Some of Austin's top prep performances came against the best
competition. He tossed a two-hitter with 12 strikeouts to defeat Tyee 1-0 in a
playoff game. The following game, he drove in four runs to lead the team to an
8-0 victory. In the West Central All-Star Games at Cheney Stadium, he tossed a
two-hitter and struck out 10 for a 6-2 victory in the first game and stroked a
two-run double in a 4-0 victory in the second.
Austin now lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where he works as a
financial advisor for the firm Austin Wealth Strategies with his son, Luke. He
joined his father, Gerry, as the first father-son inductees in the
Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame.
WIKIPEDIA ABOUT RICK AUSTIN
Edited in 2018
Edited in 2018
Rick Gerald Austin (born Oct. 27, 1946) is a former Major
League Baseball pitcher. He pitched parts of four seasons between 1970 and
1976.
Austin attended Washington State University, where he played
college baseball for the Cougars in 1967 and 1968. In a game against Gonzaga
University on March 22, 1968, he pitched a perfect game. He was drafted by the
Cleveland Indians in the first round of the secondary phase of the 1968 Major
League Baseball Draft after being scouted by Lloyd Christopher for many years,
and began his professional career with the AA Waterbury Indians. In 1968,
Austin had a 1-8 win-loss record and a 2.73 earned run average (ERA), and in
1969 he split the season between Waterbury, the Indians' rookie team, and the
Portland Beavers. With Portland, he had a 5-6 record and a 3.66 ERA in 16
games. After the season, he, along with Rich Hand, were noted as two of the
Indians' top pitching prospects.
Austin started the 1970 season with the Wichita Aeros, and
pitched in six games before being promoted to the major leagues. He made his
debut on June 21, and finished the season with a 2-5 record and a 4.79 ERA in
31 games. The following season, he had a 5.09 ERA in 23 games, and was sent
back to Wichita to finish up the year. Partway through the 1973 season, the
Indians released him, and he was signed by the Milwaukee Brewers, finishing the
year with the Evansville Triplets, where he pitched a one-hitter against the
Denver Bears. Del Crandall, his Evansville manager, later became manager of the
Milwaukee Brewers and the Seattle Mariners.
In 1974, Austin moved to Japan and played for the Hankyu
Braves of Nippon Professional Baseball. That season, he had one win, one loss,
and a 2.33 ERA in eight games. Austin said the interpreter used by the Hankyu
Braves for its English-speaking players told him “many times that I was
progressing very well and adapting to Japanese baseball in the same way as a
previous American left-hander who ended up winning 27 games one season. The new
manager of the Hankyu Braves, who took over when the 1974 season ended, wanted
hitters not pitchers as the two players allowed from the United States. I could
have returned to Japan with a different team, but the Milwaukee Brewers called
and offered me a better opportunity in 1975.” Austin accepted that opportunity
and returned to the states and joined the Brewers, and in the 1975 and 1976
seasons split time between the majors and minors. He had a MLB 2-3 pitching
record and a 4.05 ERA in 32 games in 1975, and a 5.06 ERA in three games in
1976, retiring after the season ended.
Rick Austin info dated May 17, 2013, from 'History of Lakewood Rotary'
Edited in 2018
From being the first starting quarterback
ever for Lakes High School, to beating Mickey Lolich and the Detroit Tigers,
Rick Austin’s athletic career spanned far and wide.
The 1965 graduate of Lakes High played
baseball at Washington State University and then was drafted in the first round
in 1968, with the sixth selection overall, by the Cleveland Indians. In just his second start in the majors,
Austin, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound left-hander for the Indians, threw a five-hit
shutout at the Tigers, going the full nine innings in the 3-0 victory in
Detroit on June 27, 1970. He struck out eight and walked three in the
convincing victory for the 23-year-old.
His pro career included two years with
the Indians and then two years with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1975-1976. The 1974 season was spent with the Hankyu
Braves of the Japanese Baseball League.
Austin’s overall major league record was 4-8 with a 4.63 earned-run
average. His best season statistically was with the Brewers in 1975 when he
appeared in 32 games and went 2-3 with a 4.05 ERA.
At Washington State, he still holds the
career ERA record at 1.19. He had a 1.33 ERA in 1967, which included a
no-hitter in a 1-0 victory over Lewis-Clark State. In 1968, he had a 1.10 ERA, which included a
perfect game in a 5-0 victory against Gonzaga.
In all, Austin had four shutouts in his two years at WSU. Rick’s career
record was 18-4 with 144 strikeouts in 166 innings and he was the team’s most
valuable player in 1968 and a second-team All-American. Austin also was a
member of the Cheney Studs during their national runner-up season.
Austin was at Lakes High when it opened
in 1962, without a senior class. He was the starting quarterback for three
years, playing for his father, coach Gerry Austin. Gerry was also the athletic
director, and in that role, selected the team colors of burnt orange and blue
with little outside input because time was tight to get uniforms ordered before
the first game. The team nickname, the Lancers, was selected from a vote of the
students.
Rick was all-state in football and
baseball for the Lancers, and also played basketball, which he did on the
freshman team at WSU as well.
Always nice to hear from a local kid who
made the “Bigs.”
RICK AUSTIN’S CLOVER PARK HIGH CONNECTION
Many know about Lakes High School grad Rick Austin’s connection to Clover Park High School via his father, Gerry Austin ...
http://coachgerryaustin-cp-lakes.blogspot.com/2016/02/gerry-austin-great-athlete-great-coach.html
... who was head football and boys’ golf coach at Clover Park before becoming athletic director and football coach at Lakes. Rick is remembered for his success as a Lakes football, basketball and baseball player including in Lakes wins over arch rival Clover Park. But, did you know this? The 1969 CP Klahowya student yearbook, covering the 1968-1969 school year, shows Rick as a Clover Park High cadet teacher at CP and as assistant coach of the CP sophomore football team.
During the 1968 season the CP team beat the Lakes High sophomore football team twice. Rick also coached the successful CP boys’ sophomore basketball 1968-1969 team.
Many know about Lakes High School grad Rick Austin’s connection to Clover Park High School via his father, Gerry Austin ...
http://coachgerryaustin-cp-lakes.blogspot.com/2016/02/gerry-austin-great-athlete-great-coach.html
... who was head football and boys’ golf coach at Clover Park before becoming athletic director and football coach at Lakes. Rick is remembered for his success as a Lakes football, basketball and baseball player including in Lakes wins over arch rival Clover Park. But, did you know this? The 1969 CP Klahowya student yearbook, covering the 1968-1969 school year, shows Rick as a Clover Park High cadet teacher at CP and as assistant coach of the CP sophomore football team.
During the 1968 season the CP team beat the Lakes High sophomore football team twice. Rick also coached the successful CP boys’ sophomore basketball 1968-1969 team.
RICK AUSTIN IN THE NEWS
=Sports
Illustrated, July 6, 1970: "Cleveland had a starting rotation of Sam
McDowell, Rich Hand, Steve Dunning and Rick Austin, although only McDowell had
big-league experience before this year. Of Dunning, Ralph Houk said, "I'd
like to own him." And in his second lifetime appearance Austin shut out
the Tigers."
=Caption for Associated Press photo which
ran in Idaho State Journal, Pocatello, and other newspapers on/about March 23,
1976: “Milwaukee Brewers' pitcher Rick Austin (43) sets to make a bunt pickup
as teammate Tim Johnson (4) moves to third base to take the throw on Monday's
training session at Sun City, Arizona. Watching the play are Brewers' Bob
Sheldon (14) and Kurt Revacqua (11).” However, #43 is not Rick, who says, “it cannot
be me. I am left-handed and the player in the photo is right-handed.”
=Edited in 2018 text from article in a 1998 edition of the Kansas City Business Journal said before going into insurance, (Rick) Austin was a left-handed pitcher who bounced between the major and minor leagues. He said he was a starter when he went pro, but later became a relief pitcher. In 1974, Austin went to Japan to play for the Hankyu Braves. While some American players chafed under their Japanese managers, Austin said he actually got along quite well and came out of his season with the Braves in good enough shape to come back to the United States and get to the majors again. Austin's “coach” in the insurance game was Manford Easley. Austin was in Easley's office every day for seven years learning how to build a winning insurance agency. By his eighth year in the insurance business, Austin was ranked in the top 2 percent of producers in the New York Life organization. Although Austin's agency was in Brookfield -- 100 miles northeast of Kansas City -- he did much of his business in and around Kansas City. Austin and his wife kept an apartment in KC and a home in Brookfield. The difference between pitching fastballs and pitching insurance products isn't as great as some might think. Austin said athletics exposed him to a great variety of people and taught him how to work as part of a team and how to get along with management. ‘There's no question in my mind that my athletic experience has contributed immensely to my success in other areas of life.’ "
=Edited in 2018 text from article in a 1998 edition of the Kansas City Business Journal said before going into insurance, (Rick) Austin was a left-handed pitcher who bounced between the major and minor leagues. He said he was a starter when he went pro, but later became a relief pitcher. In 1974, Austin went to Japan to play for the Hankyu Braves. While some American players chafed under their Japanese managers, Austin said he actually got along quite well and came out of his season with the Braves in good enough shape to come back to the United States and get to the majors again. Austin's “coach” in the insurance game was Manford Easley. Austin was in Easley's office every day for seven years learning how to build a winning insurance agency. By his eighth year in the insurance business, Austin was ranked in the top 2 percent of producers in the New York Life organization. Although Austin's agency was in Brookfield -- 100 miles northeast of Kansas City -- he did much of his business in and around Kansas City. Austin and his wife kept an apartment in KC and a home in Brookfield. The difference between pitching fastballs and pitching insurance products isn't as great as some might think. Austin said athletics exposed him to a great variety of people and taught him how to work as part of a team and how to get along with management. ‘There's no question in my mind that my athletic experience has contributed immensely to my success in other areas of life.’ "
=Rick says he is humbled by the success he has enjoyed a financial advisor. Read more here:
=Edited in 2018 text from St. Louis, Mo., Post-Dispatch Sept. 29, 2002, includes "Baseball
purists complain that the rise of club sections and seat licenses has forced
some longtime fans to move to more distant sections of the stadium and has made
major league games less affordable for families. But the revenue from new
stadiums and new ticket programs has helped revitalize some franchises,
particularly the Giants. When the article was written Angie Gaskill, Missouri
native lived in the San Francisco Bay area. Now living in Kansas City, she told
the Post-Dispatch she appreciated both sides of the argument because Gaskill
came from a baseball family. Her father, Rick Austin, spent four years in the
majors as a left-handed relief pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers and Cleveland
Indians. When Gaskill was a child in Brookfield, Missouri, her parents took her
to games in Kansas City and St. Louis. "We grew up not only enjoying the
game, but also the experience of the game,” she said. Gaskill, a marketing
consultant, headed west after graduating from the University of Missouri in
1997. She went to Giants games when they played at desolate 3Com Park and when
the article was written was a season-ticket holder at Pacific Bell Park.
Gaskill viewed the new stadium (Pacific Bell) as an improvement, albeit a
pricey one. "It really involves the crowd more, because you're more
engaged and closer to the action," said Gaskill.
ANOTHER RICK AUSTIN BASEBALL BIO
An outstanding high school (Lakes), college (Washington State
University) and professional baseball pitcher, after Lakes, Rick Austin hoped
to follow in the footsteps of his father and play college football.
His father, Gerry, was head football coach at Clover Park
before taking the same job at Lakes, where he coached quarterback Rick. Gerry
was a quarterback for the University of Washington and played for the Huskies
in a Rose Bowl game.
Not recruited to play college football, Rick’s ability as a
baseball pitcher attracted big time attention.
The 1965 Lakes Legend
yearbook reported, “Senior lefthander Rick Austin was Lakes’ ace pitcher,
attracting many major league scouts.”
He was also recruited as a college baseball player and played
for baseball Coach Bobo Brayton at Washington State University. Rick had an
outstanding career -- he’s a member of the Washington State University Athletics Hall of Fame -- as a Cougar
pitcher before going pro.
In 1968, he led the nation with 12 wins and tied a then-Washington
State single-season record. His 1.10 ERA in 1968 is third all-time at WSU and
his 1.33 mark in 1967 ranks fifth. He was a Pac-8 All-Star, a NCAA District
First Team selection and a Second Team All-American in 1968. In a game against
Spokane’s Gonzaga University on March 22, 1968, he pitched a perfect game in
Lewiston, Idaho.
During summers he played for storied Seattle Tacoma Cheney
Studs baseball teams. The Studs were founded in 1954 by Ben Cheney of Cheney
Lumber Co. in Tacoma. He’s namesake for Tacoma’s Cheney Stadium.
His professional baseball debut was in 1968 with Waterbury,
Conn., a Cleveland Indians’ AA minor league team.
Rick made his Major League debut June 21, 1970, pitching for
Cleveland in Detroit versus the Tigers. On June 27 also in Detroit, said a Seattle Times story. Rick “posted his
first major league victory by blanking Detroit and (pitcher) Mickey Lolich on
five singles yesterday. It was the second major league start for Austin, 25….”
He also played part of the 1971 season for Cleveland and parts
of the 1975 and 1976 seasons for Milwaukee. In addition, in 1974 he pitched in
the Japan Pacific League for Hankyu.
He played minor league ball in Kansas, Indiana, Texas, Oregon,
Arizona and California.
His professional career ended by pitching for Spokane versus
Tacoma on Sept. 6, 1976, in Cheney Stadium in Tacoma. It was Spokane’s final
game of the season and an 8-7 win. The Spokane Chronicle reported that Rick got
his 11th save of the season by battling out of a bases-loaded jam in
the bottom of the 9th inning.
In the winter of 1976 he started a new career as a financial
adviser in Missouri. He and his wife raised their family in rural Brookfield,
Missouri, and Rick now resides in Kansas City, Missouri.
WHY RICK THROWS LEFT, BUT BATS RIGHT
“I am left-handed, but different than most,” Rick said. “When
I was very young I just naturally pick up a baseball bat and started swinging
right-handed. I have no real explanation why, just happened that way. But, it
felt right to me. In about the 5th grade I tried batting left-handed for a
while with success, but right-handed felt better so I stuck with hitting that
way.” In addition to doing most everything with his left hand, including
writing, eating brushing his teeth and so forth, Rick golfs right-handed. And,
in football he always kicked -- he punted and place- kicked -- right-footed.
“It’s not the norm, but it works for me,” Rick said.
::::::::::::::::::::
CAP, BILL, RICK PRO BASEBALL STAT INFO
Stat Info
about Cap, Bill and Rick based on this source: www.baseball-reference.com/players/
CAP
PETERSON
(1962-1969
in MLB)
Positions:
Outfielder and Pinch Hitter
Bats:
right Throws: right
6-2, 195lb
Born Aug.
15, 1942, in Tacoma
Died at
age 37 on May 16, 1980, in Tacoma
MLB:
Played for the San Francisco Giants, Washington Senator and Cleveland Indians
Minor league
teams included Fresno, Calif.; Eugene, Ore.; El Paso, Texas; Tacoma (Giants and
Twins) and Wichita, Kan.
Transactions
Before
1960 Season: Signed by the San Francisco Giants as an amateur free agent.
December
13, 1966: Traded by the San Francisco Giants with Bob Priddy to the Washington
Senators for Mike McCormick.
March 31,
1969: Traded by the Washington Senators to the Cleveland Indians for Woody
Woodson (minors).
For more
info visit:
…………………………
BILL
MURPHY
(1966 in
MLB)
Billy
Murphy
Positions:
Centerfielder and Pinch Hitter
Bats:
right Throws: right
6-1, 190lb
Born: May
7, 194, in Pineville, Louisiana
Lives in
University Place, Washington
MLB:
Played for New York Mets
Minor
league teams included Harlan, Ken.; Idaho Falls, Idaho; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.;
Greensboro, N.C.; Binghamton, N.Y.; Yankees and Red Sox and Cardinals of
Florida Instructional League; Seattle (Angels), Jacksonville, Florida; Little
Rock, Arkansas; Tulsa, Okla.; Portland, Ore., and Tacoma (Cubs).
Transactions
Before
1962 Season: Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent.
November
29, 1965: Drafted by the New York Mets from the New York Yankees in the 1965
rule 5 draft.
For more
info visit:
…………….
RICK
AUSTIN
(1970-1976
in MLB)
Rick
Austin
Position:
Pitcher
Bats:
right Throws: left
6-4, 190lb
Born: Oct.
27, 1946, in Seattle
Lives in
Kansas City, Missouri.
MLB:
Played for Cleveland, Milwaukee.
Japan
Pacific League and minor league: Hankyu, Japan; Waterbury, Conn.; Portland,
Ore.; Wichita, Kansas, Tucson, Ariz., Evansville, Indiana; San Antonio, Texas;
Sacramento, Calif, and Spokane, Wash.
Transactions
June 8,
1965: Drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 22nd round of the 1965 amateur
draft, but did not sign.
June 6,
1967: Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 7th round of the 1967 amateur
draft (June Secondary), but did not sign.
January
27, 1968: Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 3rd round of the 1968
amateur draft (January Secondary), but did not sign.
June 7,
1968: Drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 1st round (6th pick) of the 1968
amateur draft (June Secondary).
May 25,
1973: Released by the Cleveland Indians.
June 2,
1973: Signed as a Free Agent with the Milwaukee Brewers.
December
27, 1973: Released by the Milwaukee Brewers to play in Japan. He signed with
the Hankyu Braves of the Japanese Pacific League.
December
19, 1974: Signed as a Free Agent with the Milwaukee Brewers.
For more
info visit:
Acknowledgements
NOTE:
Sources in
this posting are identified. But, some source information was dated or incorrect.
Thus, in some cases the author updated, rewritten, made some deletions and made
some additions to source material.
Thank you
for information and photos in this posting to Marc Blau, Tacoma Pierce-County
Baseball-Softball Oldtimers Assn. (oldtimerbaseball.com).
Thanks,
too for information and photos found online from Lakewood Rotary.
To Megan
Weese, Preservation and Digital Collections Mortvedt Library, Pacific Lutheran
University, Mary Dodsworth, City of Lakewood, Parks, Recreation, and Community
Services, Ilona Perry, NorthWest Room, Tacoma Public Library, and to Rick
Austin, thank you very much.
An
excellent source of info was Nancy Covert’s article on pages 7 and 9 about Cap
in the summer 2015 issue of Prairie
Gazette, Lakewood Historical Society:
Information
and photos came from Pacific Lutheran University Saga, Clover Park High School Klahowya,
Lakes High School Legend yearbooks
and Washington State University Sports Information.
Link to
TBC info about Clover Park:
Link to
TBC info about Lakes:
Contact researchers/writer
Tim Marsh, Lakes High School Class of 1966, at wildcatville@gmail.com
PHOTO INFORMATION
-Cheney
Studs summer baseball team’s Rick Austin (Lakes, WSU) and Ron Cey (Mount
Tahoma, WSU).
-Rick
Austin, 1965 Lakes High School pitcher
-MLB trio
on baseball cards: Cap Peterson, Bill Murphy, Rick Austin
-Bill
Murphy, Seattle Angels
-Cap
Peterson, Tacoma Twins
-Clover
Park Warriors basketball: Bill Murphy (back row far left) and Cap Peterson
(front row far left)
-Idaho State Journal, Pocatello
-MLB players during a summer at Fort Lewis as members of a U.S. Army Reserve unit, (l-r), Rick Austin (Lakes High), Steve Whitaker (Pilots jersey/Lincoln High of Tacoma), Bill Murphy (Clover Park), Ron Cey (Dodgers jersey/Mount Tahoma High of Tacoma).
-In May
2013, former MLB players Steve Whitaker (Lincoln High of Tacoma) and Rick
Austin (Lakes High) threw out first pitch before a Tacoma Rainiers professional
baseball game at Tacoma’s Cheney Stadium. The pitch was in conjunction with
2013 Cheney Studs 60th Baseball Reunion.
-Rick Austin,
Washington State University Cougars baseball
-Rick
Austin, WSU Cougars freshman basketball
-Rick
Austin, Cheney Studs
POSTSCRIPTS:
--In the 1970 season, both Cap Peterson and
Rick Austin played for the Wichita Aeros and Bill Murphy played for the Tulsa
Oilers. Both teams competed in the Class AAA American Association. But, whether
or not Cap and Rick were on the Aeros roster at the same and time and whether
or not the Aeros, with Cap and/or Rick playing for them, played the Oilers,
with Bill playing for it, is not known. A story in the May 29, 1972, Tucson,
Arizona, Daily Citizen reports on a
game in Tucson in which the Toros beat the Twins, 8-6. Rick was the winning
pitcher for the Toros. It appears Cap might have played for the Twins in that
game as a pinch-hitter. However, if he did play, it's not known if Rick pitched
to Cap.
-- At MBL.com are a list of “Longest games in MLB history.” One of them was played June 12, 1967, in Washington D.C.. Final score,Washington Senators 6, Chicago White Sox 5. “It took six hours and 38 minutes, but the home team finally prevailed at D.C. Stadium. The Senators and White Sox were tied 4-4 after nine innings, with Cap Peterson having hit two home runs for Washington, including going back-to-back with Frank Howard in the fourth. But Washington almost lost in the 10th after Don Buford knocked a go-ahead single for the White Sox. Jim King, though, came through with a game-tying sac fly in the bottom of the inning, and the score stayed tied until the 22nd. Paul Casanova came to bat for the Senators with the bases loaded and smacked a walk-off single to left field.”
--A story in the March 19, 1970, Oregonian
about the Class AAA Pacific Coast League Portland Beavers includes fact that of
one of three Beaver outfielders yet to sign a contract to play for the Wichita
Aeros was Cap Peterson. The story also said, “Southpaw Rick Austin from Tacoma,
5-6 at Portland last summer" is "considered a promising prospect" and is "putting in six months military duty and won’t report until May.”
Also, same story posted in
The Suburban Times of Lakewood (Pierce County), Washington 6/27/2018:
......................
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