Bill McGowan | |
|---|---|
 McGowan in 1925 | |
| Born | (1896-01-18)January 18, 1896 Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. |
| Died | December 9, 1954(1954-12-09) (aged 58) Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S. |
| Occupation | American Leagueumpire |
| Years active | 1925–1954 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Baseball player Baseball career | |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1992 |
| Election method | Veterans Committee |
William Aloysius McGowan (January 18, 1896 – December 9, 1954) was an Americanumpire inMajor League Baseball who worked in theAmerican League from 1925 to 1954. McGowan founded the second umpire school in the United States. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992, the first person born inDelaware so honored.
McGowan was born and grew up inWilmington, Delaware. In 1913, he began umpiring in theTri-State League at the age of 17. He moved on to theVirginia League in 1915, theInternational League andNew York State League in 1916, and theBlue Ridge League in 1917.[1] McGowan served in theUnited States Armed Forces duringWorld War I in 1918, and then returned to the International League for 1919.[2] Following the 1922 season, McGowan left the International League and joined the umpiring staff of theSouthern Association, staying there until 1924.
On April 14, 1925, McGowan umpired his firstAmerican League game, a Boston Red Sox-Philadelphia Athletics game at Shibe Park. He umpiredthird base in that game.[3] He would umpire for 30 seasons, umpiring in eightWorld Series (1928,1931,1935,1939,1941,1944,1947, and1950). He also worked fourAll-Star Games (1933,1937,1942, and1950). He umpired in 2,541 consecutive games, missing a game on September 3, 1940, due toneuritis.[4]
McGowan retired following the 1954 season. His final game was on July 27, between theChicago White Sox and theNew York Yankees at Comiskey Park.[5][6]
McGowan spent time writing baseball-related newspaper articles in the offseasons, working for theNew Orleans Item in the 1920s.[7] McGowan founded what is now known as theWendelstedt Umpire School in 1938, which was run byAl Somers after his death until 1977, when it was taken over by the Wendelstedt family.[8]
He died at age 58 at his home inSilver Spring, Maryland, after suffering two heart attacks in less than a week.[5] He was buried in Cathedral Cemetery in Wilmington. In 1977 McGowan was inducted into theDelaware Sports Hall of Fame.[9] He was also elected to theBaseball Hall of Fame in 1992 by theVeterans Committee.
Ted Williams called McGowan "Number 1," considering him the best umpire of his playing days.[10]
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