Don Buford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Don Buford |
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| Left fielder / Second baseman / Third baseman | |||
| Born: February 2, 1937 Linden, Texas, U.S. |
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| Professional debut | |||
| MLB: September 14, 1963, for the Chicago White Sox | |||
| NPB: April 14, 1973, for the Taiheiyo Club Lions | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| MLB: October 3, 1972, for the Baltimore Orioles | |||
| NPB: October 7, 1976, for the Nankai Hawks | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .264 | ||
| Home runs | 93 | ||
| Runs batted in | 418 | ||
| NPB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .270 | ||
| Home runs | 65 | ||
| Runs batted in | 213 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Donald Alvin Buford (born February 2, 1937) is an American former professional baseball player. He was also a scout, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1972. Don Buford was best known as the leadoff hitter for the Baltimore Orioles. This team won three straight American League pennants from 1969 to 1971. They also won the World Series in 1970.
Buford also played for the Chicago White Sox. After his time in MLB, he played in the Nippon Professional Baseball league in Japan from 1973 to 1976. He played as an outfielder and infielder. He was a switch-hitter, meaning he could bat from both sides of the plate. He threw with his right hand. In 1993, Don Buford was honored by being inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame.
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Early Life and College Baseball
Don Buford was born on February 2, 1937, in Linden, Texas. When he was very young, his father passed away. His mother, Sedalia Buford, then moved the family to Southern California. They wanted to be closer to her family.
Buford was a talented athlete at Susan Miller Dorsey High School in Los Angeles. He was a star in both football and baseball. He graduated from high school in 1955.
College Sports Journey
Because he was 5' 7" and 160 pounds, many colleges did not try to recruit him. He attended Los Angeles City College for three semesters. There, he earned honors in football as a quarterback and halfback. He was also recognized as an All-American junior college player.
He then received a football scholarship to the University of Southern California (USC). This was great because he could play baseball there too. He joined the USC Trojans baseball team under famous coach Rod Dedeaux. In 1958, Buford became a regular player. He had a .323 batting average that year. His team won the College World Series, which was Coach Dedeaux's first championship.
Buford also continued to play football at USC. He was a defensive and offensive halfback in 1957 and 1958. He was a top player in kickoff returns, interceptions, and rushing yards. In 2001, he was inducted into the USC Athletics Hall of Fame for baseball.
Buford's Family and Legacy
Don Buford's sons also played baseball for the USC Trojans. Don Buford, Jr. played in the Orioles minor league system. He later became a surgeon. His other son, Damon Buford, played for the Orioles for two and a half years. A third son, Daryl, became an attorney. Don Buford is a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.
Professional Baseball Career
Don Buford had a long and successful career in professional baseball. He played in both the minor leagues and Major League Baseball. He also played in Japan.
Starting in the Minor Leagues
In 1960, Buford began his professional career. He played for the San Diego Padres in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. He later played in other minor leagues. In 1963, he joined the Indianapolis Indians in the Triple-A International League.
That year, he showed he was ready for the major leagues. He led the league with a .336 batting average. He was named Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year. The Sporting News also named him their minor league player of the year. He helped his team win a championship. The Chicago White Sox called him up to the major leagues on September 14, 1963. He played 12 games and hit .286.
Playing in Major League Baseball
During his Major League career, Buford played 1286 games played. He had a .264 batting average. He hit 93 Home runs and had 418 Runs batted in. He scored 718 runs and stole 200 bases.
Buford was mostly a leadoff hitter. This means he was the first batter in the lineup. He rarely hit into double plays. He holds a Major League record for the lowest rate of grounding into double plays. He averaged one in every 138 times he batted.
Time with the Chicago White Sox
Buford was a rookie in 1964 at age 27. He started as an infielder. He played third base in the minor leagues. But the White Sox planned to move him to second base. This was a tough change for him.
In 1965, he became a regular second baseman. He played 139 games. He hit .283, had 67 walks, and scored 93 runs. In 1966, he stole a career-high 51 bases. He scored 85 runs and led the American League in sacrifice hits. He became known as one of the league's best leadoff hitters.
In 1967, Buford hit .241. His White Sox team fought for the American League pennant. They were in a close race with the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, and Minnesota Twins. The Red Sox won the pennant on the last day of the season.
Joining the Baltimore Orioles
On November 29, 1967, Buford was traded to the Baltimore Orioles. In 1968, he batted .282 with 15 home runs. The Orioles had many great players like Frank Robinson and Brooks Robinson.
When Earl Weaver became the Orioles manager in mid-1968, he made a big change. He immediately put Buford in the starting lineup as his leadoff hitter. Weaver also moved Buford to the outfield. Under Weaver, Buford's batting average improved to .298. He hit 11 home runs and scored 45 runs in the final 82 games.
In 1969, Buford hit a career-high .291. The Orioles won the American League pennant. In the first game of the 1969 World Series against the New York Mets, Buford made history. He hit a leadoff home run against Tom Seaver. This was the first time a player had hit a home run to start a World Series game. The Orioles won that game 4-1. However, the Mets won the Series in five games.
In 1970, Buford batted .272 with 17 home runs. He also had a career-high 109 walks. The Orioles won the 1970 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds in five games. Buford played in four of those games. He hit a home run in Game Three, which Baltimore won 9-3.
In 1971, Buford batted .290 with a career-high 19 home runs. He was also chosen for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game for the only time. The Orioles went to the 1971 World Series again. But this time, the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated them in seven games. Buford had six hits in this Series, including two home runs.
In each of the Orioles' three pennant-winning seasons, Buford scored 99 runs. He led the American League in runs scored in 1971. He played very well in the post-season games. He did not make any errors in the field in his 15 World Series games.
Buford was the first Baltimore Oriole to hit home runs from both sides of the plate in the same game. This happened on April 9, 1970. He also had a tough game on August 26, 1971. He was the first Oriole to strike out five times in one game. However, his Orioles still won the game 8–7.
Playing Baseball in Japan
After the 1971 season, the Orioles played exhibition games in Japan. Buford played very well there. He hit home runs in two games and had 11 total RBIs. After the 1972 season, Buford's batting average dropped to .206. The Orioles asked him to take a pay cut, but he refused.
His contract was then sold to the Taiheiyo Club Lions in Japan. They doubled his salary. Buford returned to Japan, where he was known as "The Greatest Leadoff Man in the World." He played professionally there for four seasons, from 1973 to 1976. He hit .270 with 65 home runs and 213 RBIs. In 1973 and 1974, he was voted one of the top 9 Best Players in Japan.
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After Playing Baseball
After retiring from playing, Don Buford worked as a personnel manager for Sears. In 1981, he was hired as a coach by Frank Robinson. He continued to coach for the Orioles, San Francisco Giants, and Washington Nationals.
He also held various roles in the Orioles' front office and minor league system. He managed several minor league teams, including the Rookie League Team (Bluefield), the A team (Aberdeen IronBirds), high A (Frederick Keys), and AA (Bowie Baysox). He was also the assistant director of player development and farm director for the Orioles.
Don Buford's son Damon Buford also played in the major leagues. He played for the Orioles, Mets, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs. His oldest son, Don Buford, Jr., played in the Orioles' minor league system. He is now a well-known orthopedic surgeon. Don Buford is still highly respected for his knowledge of baseball. His number 9 jersey was retired by the Daytona Cubs in 2006.
In 2012, Don Buford, Sr. took a new job. He began managing Major League Baseball's Urban Youth Academy in Compton, California. This academy offers free baseball and softball training and education to young people. He is now working on his own group, the Educational Sports Institute, in Watts.
Awards and Honors
Don Buford has received many awards and honors throughout his career:
- Inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame (1993)
- Inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame (2001)
- Inducted into the International League Triple A Hall of Fame (2008)
- Most Valuable Player, International League (1963)
- Rookie of the Year, International League (1963)
- Sporting News minor league player of the year (1963)
- American League All-Star (1971)
- Nippon Professional Baseball All Star (1973-1974)
See also
- List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders
