Bill Valentine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bill Valentine
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Valentine in 2007
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| Born |
William Terry Valentine, Jr.
November 21, 1932 |
| Died | April 26, 2015 (aged 82) Little Rock, Arkansas
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| Occupation | Umpire |
| Years active | 1963–1968 |
| Employer | American League |
| Height | 5' 11'' |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Ellouise Pefferly (1951–1989; her death) Nena Duncan (1991–2015; his death) |
William Terry Valentine, Jr. (born November 21, 1932 – died April 26, 2015), known as Bill Valentine, was a professional baseball umpire. He worked in the American League from 1963 to 1968. Bill Valentine was also an umpire in the exciting 1965 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. During his career, he umpired a total of 947 Major League games.
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Early Life and Becoming an Umpire
Bill Valentine was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. His dad worked for the railroad. Bill grew up very close to Ray Winder Field, which was the home stadium for the Arkansas Travelers minor league baseball team.
As a kid, Bill did many small jobs at the stadium. He would sort soda bottles before games. After games, he collected seat cushions. During games, he even caught foul balls and returned them!
When he was a teenager, Bill started umpiring amateur and semi-pro baseball games. After finishing North Little Rock High School in 1950, he got a scholarship. He planned to study journalism at the Arkansas State Teachers College.
But Bill loved umpiring. In 1951, he went to Bill McGowan's umpiring school in Florida. After school, he got a job offer to umpire in a Class D league. At just 18 years old, Bill Valentine became the youngest professional umpire in baseball history!
Baseball Umpire Career
Bill Valentine spent several years working his way up in the minor leagues. By 1954, he was promoted to the Double-A Texas League. After seven seasons there, he moved to the Pacific Coast League in 1960. Finally, in 1963, he joined the American League as a major league umpire.
He worked as an AL umpire for six years. One of his biggest moments was being chosen for the 1965 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Metropolitan Stadium.
A few days after that All-Star game, in the same stadium, Bill had a disagreement with the Minnesota Twins manager, Sam Mele. The manager was suspended for five games because of what happened. Bill Valentine was also the home plate umpire when Tony Conigliaro was hit by a pitched ball in 1967.
Leaving Umpiring
On September 16, 1968, Bill Valentine received a call from American League president Joe Cronin. He was told that he and another umpire, Al Salerno, were being let go right away. Cronin told the public they were fired for not being good umpires.
However, Bill and Al had actually been trying to form a union for American League umpires. These umpires were earning less money than those in the National League, who already had a union.
After 1968, Bill and Al took legal action against the American League. They said they were unfairly treated. A new group, the Major League Umpires Association, also filed a complaint. But Bill and Al did not win their cases.
In 1970, the American League offered them a deal. They could return to umpiring with back pay. But Al Salerno turned down the offer. This decision ended both his and Bill Valentine's careers as umpires.
Life After Umpiring
After leaving umpiring, Bill Valentine went back to Little Rock. He worked as a referee for basketball games. For a while, he was also the executive director for the Republican Party of Arkansas.
Bill then became an announcer for the Arkansas Travelers baseball team for eight years. In 1976, he became the general manager (GM) of the Travelers. In his first year as GM, more people came to the games. This was partly because of Bill's fun ideas!
He gave away thousands of free tickets to kids, hoping they would bring their parents. He also held unique events like midget wrestling and amateur boxing at the stadium. Under Bill's leadership, the Travelers' attendance kept growing. The team also won five league titles while he was GM.
Bill Valentine was recognized for his great work. He was inducted into several Halls of Fame, including the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and the Texas League Hall of Fame.
He stepped down as general manager in 2007 after 31 years. He stayed on as executive vice president for two more seasons before fully retiring in March 2009.
Bill Valentine passed away on April 26, 2015, in Little Rock, Arkansas.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball umpires
