Athletes - Don Heffner

Home > Listing Index > Athletes > Don Heffner

	Athletes - Don Heffner

Donald Henry Heffner (February 8, 1911 – August 1, 1989) was an American second baseman, coach and manager in Major League Baseball.

Born in Rouzerville, Pennsylvania, Heffner entered baseball in 1929. After all or parts of four seasons with the then-minor league Baltimore Orioles, Heffner joined the New York Yankees for the 1934 season. He spent four seasons with the Yanks as a part-time player before a trade to the St. Louis Browns afforded him more playing time. He appeared in more than 100 games from 1938-41 with St. Louis before reverting to a reserve role, and finished his playing career with the Philadelphia Athletics and Detroit Tigers in 1943-44. In 743 games over all or parts of 11 American League seasons (1934-44), Heffner batted .241 with six home runs. Heffner batted and threw righthanded.

In 1947, he began his managing career in the Browns’ farm system, and he promptly won consecutive pennants in his first two seasons. He returned to the major leagues as a coach with the Athletics, now in Kansas City, from 1958-60 and the Tigers in 1961. Heffner then spent two successful seasons managing the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League, winning the 1962 championship, before becoming third-base coach of the New York Mets in 1964-1965.

In October 1965, he succeeded Dick Sisler as manager of the Cincinnati Reds. Heffner was hired by longtime associate Bill DeWitt, the Reds’ owner and general manager who was the front office boss of the Browns during Heffner’s playing days. The Reds were a first division finisher in 1965 and hopes were high for a pennant run the following year - especially after DeWitt added front-line starting pitcher Milt Pappas in a blockbuster trade with Baltimore involving former most valuable player Frank Robinson. But while the Orioles roared to the AL pennant and world championship in 1966, the Reds never got untracked under Heffner. With Cincinnati in eighth place in the National League with a record of 37-46 (.446) on July 13, Heffner was released in favor of Dave Bristol. He never again managed in the major leagues, although he spent 1967-68 as a California Angels coach and 1969 as manager of the Denver Bears of the American Association.

He died at age 78 in Pasadena, California.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Don Heffner ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article Don Heffner; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Searches on eBay