Forty years ago, baseball players rarely attended college, fewer earned their degrees, almost none earned advanced degrees. College boys just didn’t make it in baseball at a time when fewer than 50% attended higher education.
The 1969 Washington Senators countered this trend. Twenty-three men who played for the Senators in 1969 attended college, 11 earned bachelor’s degrees and two catcher Jim French and pitcher Jim Hannan earned Masters of Finance. Despite years of losing, the Senators played intelligent, winning baseball in 1969, finishing the season with an 86-76 mark, good enough to earn a rookie skipper named Ted Williams Manager of the Year honors.
Here’s a list of the 1969 Washington Senators who were college material.
Name Position School Status
Bernie Allen* Second Base Purdue Attended
Hank Allen Outfield Baldwin-Wallace Graduate
Dave Baldwin+ Relief Pitcher Arizona Graduate
Rich Billings Infield Michigan State Graduate
Dick Bosman Starting Pitcher Wisconsin Attended
Ed Brinkman Shortstop Cincinnati Attended
Doug Camilli Catcher/Coach Stanford Attended
Casey Cox Starter/Reliever L.A. State College Attended
Tim Cullen Utility Infield Santa Clara Graduate
Jan Dukes Starter/Reliever Santa Clara Graduate
Mike Epstein First Baseman U. of Calif (Berkeley) Attended
Jim French Catcher Ohio University Graduate
Jim Hannan Starting Pitcher Notre Dame Graduate
Dennis Higgins Relief Pitcher Lincoln University Attended
Gary Holman First Baseman Southern Cal Attended
Frank Howard First Base/Outfield Ohio State Attended
Bob Humphreys Relief Pitcher Hampden-Sydney Graduate
Darold Knowles Relief Pitcher Missouri Attended
Jim Miles Starter/Reliever Delta State College Graduate
Barry Moore Starting Pitcher Pfeiffer College Attended
Dick Such Starting Pitcher Elon College Attended
Del Unser Centerfielder Mississippi State Graduate
* Bernie Allen was an All-American quarterback for Purdue. He beat Notre Dame three times.
+ After baseball, David Baldwin earned an M.S. in Systems Engineering and Ph.D. in Genetics