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Williams of Bowdoinham pitched 3 years in the majors and had a 16-25 record. Pop Williams attended Brunswick High and then nearby Bowdoin College. He broke into pro ball with Toronto in 1894. He made the big leagues with Washington in '98, was a pitcher, and departed the majors after the 1903 season with Cleveland. Williams also played the outfield. He was a selectman at Topsham for 39 years and also coached baseball at his alma mater Bowdoin College in 1903. Vern Putney PPH December 1976 From Wikipedia Walter Merrill "Pop" Williams (May 19, 1874 – August 4, 1959) was a professional baseball pitcher whose playing career spanned nine seasons, including three in Major League Baseball. He was born in Bowdoinham, Maine on May 19, 1874. Williams batted right-handed and threw left-handed. Over his major league career, Williams compiled a win-loss record of 16–25 with a 3.17 earned run average (ERA), 41 complete games, two shutouts and 132 strikeouts in 47 games, all starts. He was also the coach of the Bowdoin College baseball team during the spring of 1903. During his time in the majors and the minor leagues, Williams occasionally played outfield and first base. In the majors, Williams played for the Washington Senators (1898), Chicago Cubs (1902–1903), Philadelphia Phillies (1903) and the Boston Beaneaters (1903). Professional career Early career Williams attended Bowdoin College from 1893 to 1896.[1] His professional career began in 1895 with the Lewiston ball club in the Class-B New England League. In 1896, Williams played for two teams; his previous club, Lewiston, and Fall River Indians. That season, Williams went a combined 14–16 with a 3.15 earned run average (ERA), 28 complete games, and 86 strikeouts in 35 games, 30 starts. Williams also four games in the outfield and four games at first base that season. He batted a combined .312 with 29 runs, 43 hits, 10 doubles, three triples, one home run, and eight stolen bases in 138 at-bats. Williams moved on to the Class-A Toronto Canucks of the Eastern League in 1897. Although records were not kept in his first season there, in 1898 he went 16–14 with 26 complete games, and 70 strikeouts in 37 games, 34 starts. That season, Williams made his debut in Major League Baseball. Playing for the Washington Senators, Williams went 0–2 with an 8.47 ERA in 2 games, both starts. His debut with the Senators made Williams the first person from Bowdoin College to play in the majors.[1] He returned to Toronto in 1899 and went 20–10 with 28 complete games, two shutouts and 54 strikeouts in 33 games, 30 starts. Williams was tied for third in wins that season in the Eastern League.[2] Williams played with the Toronto team until 1901. In 1901, he went 16–13 in 34 games. Chicago Cubs Williams with the Toronto Canucks. Williams joined the major league Chicago Orphans in 1902. He went 11–16 with a 2.49 ERA, 27 complete games, and 99 strikeouts. Williams was tied for eighth in the National League in both losses and home runs per nine innings that season.[3] Williams was re-signed by the Orphans, now renamed the Chicago Cubs, for the 1903 season.[4] He did not join the Cubs in spring training that season as he was coaching the Bowdoin College baseball team.[4] With the Cubs in 1903, Williams went 0–1 with a 5.40 ERA in one game, a start. Later career In April of the 1903 season, the Philadelphia Phillies purchased Williams from the Cubs. His tenure with the Phillies proved short, however, as after two games with a 1–1 record and a 3.00 ERA, he was released. As a free agent, Williams signed with the Boston Beaneaters. In ten games, he went 4–5 with a 4.12 ERA, nine complete games and 20 strikeouts. All of his games were for starts. On the season, Williams went 5–7 with a 3.99 ERA, 12 complete games and 30 strikeouts in 13 games, all starts, between Chicago, Philadelphia and Boston.

“I’ve finally figured out how to coach and get these things across without overwhelming the kids. One thing I can tell you about coaching, young kids learn it just as quick as college kids. It’s just how you go about it. These players have college maturity minds right now, they know every aspect of the game inside and out. In the last 4 years these kids have played in over 320 baseball games. That’s my passion now.” -Gary Williamson “In 1991 Gary Williamson was the Regional MVP and World Series MVP on the team that won the first National Championship that a Maine team had ever won. He hit the biggest home run in the history of USM when he came to the plate in the ninth inning of a tied game against Eastern Connecticut. With two out and the bases loaded, he hit a 3-2 pitch far over the left field wall that propelled the team to the World Series. He was one of the all-time greats at Southern Maine.” -Ed Flaherty For Gary Williamson his passion for the sport runs extremely deep and based upon his unselfish commitment and dedication is being recognized by the Maine Baseball Hall OF Fame. William’s talents started innocently on the field in Western Maine and his reputation grew immensely at the University of Southern Maine and nationally. He has continued to give back to Americas Pastime as a coach on the youth level where a fruitful career began. ‘’I really had no idea the talent I had in High School. I was a decent baseball player in HS,’’Williamson said. ‘’I feel my talent was raw and undisciplined at that point of my playing career.’’ Along with his high school best friend, Rick Roy. the Telstar Rebels won the Western Class C Western Regional championship in 1988 and then proved it was no flux by winning the 1989 Class C state championship at the University of Maine. Telstar had a core group of Seniors when they won it, all of the team were very competitive, real tough kids, and for examples, groundballs that eat up normal players, these players ate for lunch. This included Tommy James, Jim Merrill, Roy, John Eliot and Corey Duguay. Bob Remington was an excellent coach who spent a lot of time with those core players, having coached a lot of them from little league right up thru high school. Williamson was recruited very aggressively by former St. Joseph’s coaches Jim Graffam and Jeff Benson. Benson was the hitting coach and worked countless hours with Williamson to improve his hitting mechanics. ‘’Jeff Benson was a hellava coach. I can’t thank him enough,’’Williamson said. ‘’I honestly can’t remember a time he refused he to throw me extra batting practice. He took a raw high school baseball swing and tamed into a collegiate swing with discipline.’’ After one season, Williamson decided to transfer to USM, due to the fact that Graffam and Benson was leaving, also. At USM, his career and personal life reached the next level, which included meeting his met future wife Julia. In 1991, Williamson was the regional and World Series Most Valuable Player (name on plaque at MLB HOF in Cooperstown, NY) on the USM team that won the National Championship; first ever by a won by a Maine team. In fact, Williamson developed a flare for the dramatic and was always willing to accept a challenge. He hit the biggest home run in USM history, when he came to the plate in the ninth inning of a tied game against Eastern Connecticut. With two outs and the bases loaded, he hit a 3-2 pitch over the left field wall, that propelled the team to the WS. ‘’Gary played the game the way it should be played. He was a fearless competitor,”USM head coach and MBHOF Ed Flaherty said. ‘’He played hard all the time. He was sound fundamentally in all aspects of the game. He was ultra-aggressive with the bat and the way he ran the bases. He made others around him better because of the aggressiveness he played with.’’ Williamson’s statistics are still quiet prominent in the USM record books:.379 career batting average ranks 15th on all-time list; 26 home runs rank 5th; .676 slugging percentage ranks 4th. He always hit third or fourth in the batting order and was a feared hitter. ‘’It was one of the most special years I had in baseball. I was fortunate to be surrounded by the hardest working players I have ever seen. The work ethic and toughness on this team was amazing. We were a loose fiery bunch of players that feared absolutely no one,’’Williamson said, the lineup featured Rick York, Jim Dimillo, Jim Broughton, Mark Caron, Steve Claire, Jon Collins, Scotty Dutton, Bob Prince, Pete Misiaszek, Mike Welsh and others. That ‘91 team holds a lot of career stats for USM as a team. ‘’Coach Flaherty...He’s a remarkable man. By far the best coach I have ever been around,’’Williamson said, who operates Four Seasons of Maine Reality. ‘’When Flaherty’s team takes the field they are prepared to win I can tell you that. There was never a second of practice that was wasted. He can teach fundamentals like no other coach I’ve seen. More importantly about coach Flaherty he prepares young men to become men. He cares so much about each player on the field and off the field.’’ That speaks volumes about a coach, who once excused Williamson so he could return to his native Andover and cut wood. After college days, Williamson joined the Pine Tree League and continued to amaze.PTL baseball in the summer was so much fun back in the 80’s and 90’s. Williamson played for the West Paris Westies early on with coach Mark Thurlow as coach, and best friend Lance Bean. ‘Mark made the game fun, he was fiery and charismatic. I use to think about baseball all day on game day and could wait to get to the ball field in west Paris,’’Williamson said, bandbox Perham Field would attract approximately 500 fans to some games with its old time wooden-covered grand stands. ‘’Obviously the grand stands filled quickly, and that’s when you would see (late) Les Thurlow’s hat wagons lining up down the left field line where people would sit on those. The elderly, would sit behind home plate in lawn chairs, and the kids ran everywhere. Some nights I can tell you it was wild atmosphere.’’ Umpires have to run for there cars at the end of the game!!! There was no political correctness at the West Paris field, but that’s just the way it was back in those days. Nowadays people would get harassment charges for what transpired (But it was fun) and other teams couldn’t wait to play the Westies. That’s when the word rivalry really meant something and there was some ole fashion baseball being played. Meaning you look at someone the wrong way you might be picking a baseball out of your helmet, however, it was competitive baseball. Williamson was humble, not one to go out cocky and say or draw attention to himself. He was quite versatile and played every positions, including a dominant right handed pitcher; with a lively fast ball and outstanding curve which enabled him to be effective. Williamson was a four-time league MVP 1996-99 and a five-time league champion Dixfield ’96-97 Bethel ’99 West Paris ’00-01. William was influenced by father Gary Williamson, Sr, who wasn’t the type of dad that was all in his son’s face. He provided positive reinforcement and instilled the confidence to be the player, possible. The elder never missed a game from Florida to Maine, all over. In 1999, he was recognized by Sports Illustrated as one of the ‘’50 Greatest Sports Figures from Maine. He was 41st on that list. Williamson was known for clouting mammoths home; twice hitting the former tower at Lisbon and clearing the former tall pine trees at Harlow Park in Dixfield. For the past 16 years, Williamson has been giving back as a youth baseball coach and has been privileged to teach sons, Buddy, Hunter, Wyatt, Wylie. ‘’I’ve finally figured out how to coach and get these things across without overwhelming the kids. One thing I can tell you about coaching, young kids learn it just as quick as college kids. It's just how you go about it,’’Williamson said, who has coached the same group of kids now since they were 9 years old. Their now 14 years old and have won four-state championships, and Tri-County finished #2 in the 2015 National Babe Ruth World Series. ‘’These players have college maturity minds right now, they know every aspect of the game inside and out. In the last 4 years these kids have played in over 320 baseball games. That’s my passion now.’’ From Bob McPhee Lewiston Sun Journal https://southernmainehuskies.com/sports/bsb/2015-16/releases/20160719i7iser Williamson's statistics are still quiet prominent in the USM record books. His 379 career batting average ranks 15th on all-time list. He is fifth with 26 home runs. ''It was one of the most special years I had in baseball," Williamson said. "I was fortunate to be surrounded by the hardest working players I have ever seen. The work ethic and toughness on this team was amazing. "We were a loose fiery bunch of players that feared absolutely no one,'' Williamson said the lineup featured Rick York, Jim Dimillo, Jim Broughton, Mark Caron, Steve Claire, Jon Collins, Scotty Dutton, Bob Prince, Pete Misiaszek, Mike Welsh and others. That '91 team holds a lot of career stats for USM as a team.

From Society for American Baseball Research https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/084225e8 Wilson was born in Old Town, Maine, on March 29, 1889, to Charles and Josephine Wilson. The couple and their young son were living with Charles’s father, a physician, during the time of the 1900 Census. Charles is listed as a farmer. George played baseball as a youngster with both Waterville High School and Hebron Academy in Hebron, Maine. He starred as a catcher for the Bowdoin College Albions baseball team in Brunswick, Maine, from 1909 to 1911, and in June 1911, it was reported that he had been named captain of the Albions for 1912. [Christian Science Monitor, June 3, 1911] He decided to forgo the captaincy when the Detroit Tigers offered a position in professional baseball. Wilson’s first stop in baseball was in the major leagues; he reported to Detroit on July 6, 1911, as the third catcher on the Tigers behind Oscar Stanage and Boss Schmidt. For a while in September, his contract was sold to Toronto but this may have been a paperwork formality. Wilson appeared in five games at the tail end of the season, debuting on October 2, 1911. He was 0-for-4 in his first game and was charged with a passed ball in a game that saw manager Hughie Jennings ejected in the first inning and pitcher George Mullin in the third. Mullin’s replacement, Tex Covington, was forced from the game when his pitching hand was struck by a batted ball. Wilson’s teammate Ty Cobb was hitless in the game as well, striking out twice. Cleveland won the game, 7-4. Jennings had signed up a lot of young players, and fielded a team primarily of recruits on October 6. Wilson collected two hits. In 16 total at-bats, he managed three hits -- all singles -- and got on base two other times by drawing a base on balls. He scored two runs, but never drove in one. His fielding left a lot to be desired, three errors in 30 chances. Though Wilson had had to forgo the captaincy of the Bowdoin team, he returned to Brunswick to finish his studies and graduated in 1912. He was a switch-hitter who threw right-handed, and is listed as 5-feet-10 and 170 pounds. In the summer of 1912, Wilson played briefly for both Providence and Toronto in the International League. While playing for Toronto, he suffered a serious injury in a collision with an opposing third baseman and was never able to throw properly again. Switching to first base, where lack of arm strength is much less of a liability, Wilson played for Lynn, Massachusetts, in the New England League for the next three years, each year for a differently-named Lynn nine. In what remained to him of the 1912 season after recovery (some 23 games), he hit .301 for the Lynn Leonardites in 83 at-bats, with one home run. The team became the Lynn Shoemakers in 1913, and Wilson had an excellent year, leading the league with a .365 average in a full 122-game season. He hit nine home runs and also led the league in base stealing. This caught the eye of the Boston Red Sox, who gave him an opportunity, signing him for 1914. During the winter, Wilson taught high school mathematics at Reading High School, just outside Boston. He paid a visit to Red Sox physician A.A. Cliff and Red Sox president Joseph Lannin on January 31; his arm was reportedly deemed in good shape. The Boston Globe noted, however, that “his fielding average at first was rather poor, although he came second in assists and was a dashing, willing player who gave much promise.” [Boston Globe, February 1, 1914] A feature by James C. O’Leary followed less than a week later, informing readers that the Sox had drafted and signed Wilson. Training in Hot Springs in March, he worked out both at second base and at first. The Sox were only one year removed from the 1912 world championship and looked to have a solid infield in Larry Gardner at third base, Steve Yerkes at second, Hack Engle at first, with Everett Scott breaking in at shortstop. The Globe’s Tim Murnane predicted, “Janvrin will make a fine substitute infielder, and I believe Wilson will prove a valuable man to hold as an understudy to Clyde Engle.” [Boston Globe, April 12, 1914] Wilson appeared in his first game for the Red Sox on April 21, 1914. It was an interesting early-season game. The Red Sox entered the day with a record of 2-4, 3½ games behind the first-place White Sox. In the seven games they had played, Boston had scored a total of six runs -- they’d been shut out three times, won games by the scores of 1-0 and 2-1, and had played a 1-1 tie game against Philadelphia the day before. They played to a tie again on April 22. When the Red Sox scored four times in the bottom of the fourth, it was their biggest inning of the year. Boston held a 5-1 lead only briefly; the Athletics tied it in the top of the fifth -- and then took a 9-5 lead thanks to four more runs in the top of the seventh. Time was running short, because both teams had trains to catch. The umpire was former Boston pitcher Bill Dinneen. In the bottom of the eighth, Hal Janvrin grounded out, short to first. Everett Scott drew a walk. Hick Cady flied to right, but Eddie Murphy muffed the ball and the Red Sox had runners on first and second with just one out. Squanto Wilson was put in as a pinch-runner for catcher Cady at first. Pinch-hitter Olaf Henriksen struck out. Two down. Harry Hooper doubled, driving in Scott and sending Wilson to third. Engle walked and the bases were loaded. On a 3-2 count, with Tris Speaker up, the outfielders were playing deep, and the runners were off with the pitch. Speaker purposely tapped a ball into short left field, while the runners tore around the bases and all three scored, retying the game, 9-9. Left-fielder Tom Daley fell coming in to make the play, just barely stopped the ball, and was unable to throw home before all three runners scored. After Lewis flied out, the game was called by mutual agreement. Daley was not assigned an error; Speaker was awarded a double. Curiously, and correctly, all the box scores of the day awarded Wilson a run scored, but none of today’s reference works have the run recorded. On May 14, Wilson was sold to Memphis of the Southern League. Murnane said, “Everything possible was done for Wilson, but he was still having trouble with his throwing arm and the Red Sox management could not afford to waste any more time in trying to develop a first baseman.” He was sold for cash to the Chickasaws, but under an agreement that the Sox could purchase him back at the end of the year. It was hoped that the warmer weather in the Southern League would help his arm. [Boston Globe, May 14, 1914] If he is the S. Wilson who played outfield for Memphis (an unlikely assignment for someone with difficulty throwing), he seems to have started off nicely, but ended up hitting .252 in 57 games. On July 12, Wilson was returned to Boston. [Atlanta Constitution, July 13, 1914] He headed north but not to play in Boston; SABR’s minor-league records show Squanto Wilson playing in 59 games for the Lynn Fighters and hitting .333. Wilson never appeared in another major-league game. Wilson returned to Maine and played with a number of semipro and amateur teams there through the 1920s. His photograph can be found as one of the 1922 Augusta Millionaires in Will Anderson’s book Was Baseball Really Invented in Maine? In 1923, he signed as the player-manager with the Hanover (Pennsylvania) Raiders in the Class D Blue Ridge League. By the following year, he was proprietor of Geo. F. Wilson’s Store on Main Street in Winthrop, Maine, selling men’s and women’s clothing. By 1925, the store was built into a small five-store chain of retail stores known as Wilson’s Dollar Stores. Wilson served as a teacher and principal at Winthrop High School for 10 years; while he was principal in 1920, he and his wife, Edith, rented a house in Winthrop. By 1930, he is listed as a dry-goods merchant living in Richmond. Another wife, Daisy, was listed, and the couple had a four-year-old daughter, Ann. In later years, he was vice president of the Lewiston, Greene, and Monmouth Telephone Co. He died in Winthrop on March 26, 1967. Wilson’s major-league average was the .188 he hit with the Tigers. His only appearance for the Red Sox was as a pinch-runner in this one game, a game neither team won.

With today’s induction into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame, Merrill “Red” Wilson completes a remarkable Grand Slam having been previously inducted into Halls of Fame of the Massachusetts Baseball Coaches (1975), Husson College (1997) and Cape Cod Baseball League (2001). Though his parents were native Mainers, Red Wilson was born in Providence, Rhode Island and graduated from Hope High School in 1948 where he was an all-state hockey player. Red considered going to Colby to continue his hockey career but opted instead for the University of Maine. While at Maine, Red was a two-time Ali Yankee Conference catcher (1951 and 1952) and served as captain in 1952 (succeeding fellow Hall of Famer Ralph Clark). Red’s teammates with the Black Bears included pitchers Vic Woodberry) and Marty Dow as well as Al Hackett, a slugging outfielder. Red’s baseball coaches at Maine were Mike Lude and Tubby Raymond, both of whom Red credits with having been a formative influence on his own distinguished coaching career. Another mentor was football coach Harold Westerman who brought Red into the program as student assistant charged with scouting and analyzing game film. Following graduation, Red taught and coached baseball at Fairfield High School in Lawrence for three years. His playing days were far from over, however, and Red pastimed in the summer semi-pro circuit for Bucksport (1951), Brewer (1952), Fairfield (1953-54) and Farmington (1955). Red recalls making an All-Star team from a tryout camp sponsored by the Boston Braves in 1951. His battery mate for the All-Star game was none other than Cherryfield’s Carlton Willey who was signed by the Braves following that game and went on to a notable pig league career. In 1955, fellow Mainer Gordon Pendleton, then coaching at Barnstable High School on Cape Cod, informed Red of an opening at nearby Dennis Yarmouth High School. Red got the job and stayed for 29 years serving as baseball and basketball coach of 20 years and later moving into administration before taking retirement in 1983.In 1981 the baseball field at Dennis-Yarmouth High School was named in Red’s honor. Red’s playing career continued in the Cape Cod Baseball League from 1956 to 1962 League MVP in 1961).The following year, Red became manager of the Dennis-Yarmouth Red Sox entry in the Cape League and embarked on a 14-year coaching stint in one of the country’s premier collegiate leagues. “The Cape Cod League was the Utopia of coaching,” says Red.“The kids were all motivated, they all came from good programs and they were all there to play ball.” Red coached numerous collegians who went on to sign professional contracts, including Craig Biggio and Kirk McKaskill and Maine’s own Mike Bordick, Joe Johnson and Stan Thomas. Red took his retirement from the Massachusetts Public School System in 1983 and returned to Maine to take over the baseball program at Husson College. Red coached at Husson for six years, rounding out an illustrious career that spanned four decades. “I really enjoyed teaching the game of baseball”, said Red.“I was fortunate to get a terrific grounding in coaching philosophy from my mentors at Maine and I tried to focus on understanding and teaching the fundamentals of the game.’ Red today lives in Holden with Flo, his wife of 55 years. They have a son Dana, who enjoyed a superlative basketball career at Husson, and two grandchildren. From Cape Cod Times https://www.capecodtimes.com/sports/20160417/d-ys-red-wilson-dead-at-age-87 Merrill “Red” Wilson, longtime athletic director, coach and educator at Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School, and a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame, passed away last week in Summerfield, Florida. He was 87. Wilson was part of the fabric of Cape Cod high school sports from the mid-1950s and into the 1980s, coaching the Dolphins in basketball and baseball. He also was the school’s athletic director and a vice principal, and the baseball field at D-Y was named in his honor. Wilson was inducted into the first class of the Cape League Hall of Fame in 2001. In a career that lasted from 1957 until 1986, he was a star player for the Yarmouth Indians, a seven-time all-star at catcher and MVP of the Lower Cape division in 1961. He later managed the Indians and their successors, the Y-D Red Sox, who continue to play on the diamond at Red Wilson Field. Wilson was also inducted into the Massachusetts State Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, the Husson College Sports Hall of Fame and the State of Maine Baseball Hall of Fame. He was a star player at the University of Maine, and after retiring to Bangor in 1983 he returned to coaching baseball and basketball coaching for several seasons at Husson College. Bob Stead, who played for Wilson at D-Y, and later coached alongside him in the Cape League before becoming the league commissioner, presented his mentor at the inaugural induction ceremony. “As a teacher and a coach, Red made everyone feel like a champion,” said Stead. “He is the personification of a Hall of Famer: class, dignity and excellence. “Beyond our professional relationship was our personal relationship,” said Stead. “He was the most important male figure in my life. He just always did things right.”

Bill Wing discovered his fastball in the schoolyard at Richmond Grammar School in the mid-1940s. A pitcher from the beginning, Wing’s first official start on the mound came against Oakland High School in the 1940s at Richmond. Later, pitching for Morse High School in Bath, he struck out seventeen Brunswicks in an Andy Valley League game, setting a state of Maine record. In the summer of 1949, led by Wing’s dominant pitching, Smith-Tobey American Legion Post of Bath captured the State of Maine championship. Wing was a fastballer, overpowering, but with a deceptive curve. In the words of friend and teammate Bill Haggett, “Bill Wing was a dominant baseball pitcher in Maine in the 1940s and early 1950s … blessed with a major league fastball, good stuff, and excellent control.” After graduating from Morse in 1950, Wing left Richmond for Ricker College in Houlton and pitched summers for the Houlton Collegians of the Maine-New Brunswick League, a fast class of ball that was said then to compare with Class B minor league play. Nineteen years old during his first summer in Houlton, he posted a 2.84 earned run average, struck our thirty-five, and, in his second start, was called on to stop a Houlton five-game losing streak. He did it with a five-hit win over Fredericton, New Brunswick, knocking the Capitals out of first place. The next year, 1952, the Collegians won the Maine-New Brunswick League pennant. Wing improved his earned run average to 1.53, struck out 45 and logged the best won‑lost record in the league, 5-1. And the following summer the Collegians won a second championship behind fastballer Bill Wing, prompting Houlton sportswriter Jack Moran to write, “Other teams had mound aces, too. But when it was all over it was Bill Wing who was the best of the lot.” But Wing pitched one more game for the Collegians. In October 1953 the Birdie Tebbetts All-Stars, a barnstorming medley of post‑season major leaguers, came to Houlton to play the Collegians, who had been bolstered by the addition of a Canadian player or two. Wing was named starting pitcher for Houlton. Mike Garcia, Cleveland Indians twenty-two game winner, started for the visiting All‑Stars. Johnny Pesky led off the game with a ground ball that caromed over pitcher Wing’s head into center field. “I was in trouble right off,” Wing says. But Wing retired the next nine All‑Stars—Mickey McDermott, Vic Wertz, Bobby “The Miracle at Coogan’s Bluff” Thomson, Al Rosen, Walt Dropo, Eddie Pellagrini, Jim Hegan, Garcia, and Pesky—in order. No more hits. No walks. One strikeout. At the end of three innings, he had dueled Garcia to a 0-0 tie. Bill Wing pitched for the Colby College Mules two seasons, 1953 and 1954. In his second season there, Wing swept the State Series teams: He opened the season against Bowdoin striking out fifteen Polar Bears; he followed that outing with a three-hitter to subdue the University of Maine, the Black Bears’ only loss in its run for the State championship; and then he toppled the Bates Bobcats 5-3, striking out six, all complete games. He was named pitcher on the All-Maine baseball team. And Colby awarded him the Edward C. Roundy trophy as the most valuable player on the Mule nine. Following the 1954 Colby season, Wing pitched for the semi-pro Auburn ASAs in the Down East League until the Red Sox signed him to a minor league contract. The Red Sox sent Wing to the Bluefield, West Virginia, Red Sox in the Appalachian League. Lou Clinton, who would later make the major‑league club, was on that team, too, and they roomed together. They both started out fast at Bluefield, Clinton hitting well enough to be promoted mid-season to Class B Greensboro and Wing pitching well enough—winning his first four starts, two of them shutouts—to be sent to the contending Salem Rebels, also in the Appalachian League, where he helped win the Appalachian League pennant for the Rebels. Wing’s record on the season was twelve wins four losses and a league-leading 2.79 earned run average. At the end of the 1955 baseball season, Bill Wing met Sarah, and they married. He did not return to professional baseball. He and Sarah now live in Ooltewah, Tennessee. They have two children: son Steve and family in Billings, Montana; daughter Diana and family in New Albany, Ohio. Bill is retired from the General Electric Company and spends much of his time recounting his baseball memories. He has many. Induction into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame, Sarah says, “culminates Bill’s dream of a lifetime.” From Portland Press Herald Posted July 28, 2011 BASEBALL: Wing set for Maine Baseball Hall induction It's been many years since Bill Wing toed the rubber and threw a fastball past a batter. But there are still those who remember what that was like. BY GARY HAWKINS STAFF WRITER https://www.centralmaine.com/2011/07/28/wing-set-for-maine-baseball-hall-induction_2011-07-27/ It’s been many years since Bill Wing toed the rubber and threw a fastball past a batter. But there are still those who remember what that was like. “He threw very hard and he had excellent stuff,” lifelong friend Bill Haggett said. “He threw as hard as 99 percent of the pitchers in Maine at that time.” Wing, 80, will be among 11 inductees to the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame this Sunday at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland. He and his wife Sarah are flying up from Ooltewah, Tenn., where they’ve lived for more than 50 years. He expects at least 25 friends and relatives to attend the induction ceremony.

Winkin, a 1941 graduate of Duke University, in 1973 was elected president of the American Association of College baseball Coaches. He's held about every Maine and New England college baseball post. Winkin was head baseball coach at Colby 20 years and moved to a similar post at University of Maine Orono in July 1974. His UMO teams have been as successful as were his Colby clubs. Vern Putney, Maine Sunday Telegram October 26th 1975. From Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Winkin John W. Winkin Jr. (July 24, 1919 – July 19, 2014) was an American baseball coach, scout, broadcaster, journalist and collegiate athletics administrator. Winkin led the University of Maine Black Bears baseball team to six College World Series berths in an 11-year span. In 2007, at age 87, he was the oldest active head coach in any collegiate sport at any NCAA level. In all, 92 of his former players wound up signing professional baseball contracts.[1] Elected to 11 different halls of fame, including the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013, he finished his college baseball coaching career in 2008 with 1,043 total wins, which ranks 52nd all-time among NCAA head coaches. He died in 2014. Early life Winkin was born July 24, 1919 in Englewood, New Jersey, the son of Cora Senner Winkin and John W. Winkin Sr. His mother earned her medical degree at Columbia University and was a physician on the staff of Columbia Presbyterian Medical College before her death in 1932. His father was a linguistics professor at Columbia University who spoke seven languages. Winkin attended Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood. Winkin attended Duke University, where he played baseball for head coach Jack Coombs as a 5-foot 6-inch left-handed hitting center fielder. He also played basketball and soccer and was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. Winkin graduated in 1941 with a bachelor's degree in education. Military service Following graduation Winkin joined the U.S. Navy as an ensign, spending 56 months at sea in the Pacific theatre and rising to the rank of lieutenant commander. Winkin served as one of 158 crew aboard the USS McCall, a destroyer assigned to protect aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. After delivering Marines to Wake Island, the fleet was returning to port at Pearl Harbor on the evening of December 6, 1941. However the McCall was unable to make it in because of hazardous weather. If not for that storm, the ship would have been berthed next to the USS Arizona when Japanese forces attacked the next morning. Instead, Winkin and his crewmates saw the entire attack unfold from the decks of the McCall in the waters outside the harbor. Post-War life Following his military discharge, Winkin returned to New Jersey. Though his college coach Coombs had suggested the coaching profession, Winkin knew his parents would scoff at such a decision as a waste of his education. Instead he pursued a career in journalism, joining McFadden Publications in 1946 as a writer and founding editor of Sport Magazine, and authoring his pieces as Johnny Winkin. The connections developed through his reporting and interview work led to a broadcasting position with the New York Yankees, where he hosted the first pre-game baseball TV show in the nation alongside Mel Allen and Curt Gowdy. Winkin became friends with Joe DiMaggio, and he chose to wear jersey #5 at each of his college coaching stints in honor of the Yankee legend. Winkin also made his first foray into coaching, becoming manager of the American Legion baseball team in Englewood. In 1949 Dr. Harry Stearns, superintendent of Englewood schools and a friend of Winkin, suggested he revisit coaching. Winkin then became head football coach at Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, where he was a baseball coach and history teacher. To appease his parents, Winkin resumed studies at Columbia University, earning his Master's and Doctorate in education. His doctoral thesis was on the statistical probabilities of the double play. Among the rival schools Winkin coached against was St. Cecilia's, also in Englewood, where the head coach was Vince Lombardi. Winkin and the future Green Bay Packers legend became close friends and bridge partners. Colby College In 1954 Coombs recommended Winkin to his alma mater, Colby College. Winkin spent the next 20 years there as baseball coach and athletic director. As an administrator he served as president of the Eastern College Athletic Conference, and also as a vice president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Winkin attended Graylag Basketball Camp on Wild Goose Pond in Pittsfield, New Hampshire 1962,63,64 & 65'. The Camp was run by Bob Cousy and they became friends. Winkin was named National Baseball Coach of the Year in 1965. During his tenure he also served as an area scout for the Boston Red Sox for several years. He also developed a friendship with Ted Williams, and Winkin coached at Williams' summer youth baseball camps in Lakeville, Massachusetts for 15 years. Two of Winkin's players at Colby, Norm Gigon and Ed Phillips, went on to play in the major leagues. As athletic director, Winkin hired Dick Whitmore as men's basketball coach in 1970. Whitmore compiled a 637–341 record and a .651 winning percentage over his 40-year career, and retired in March 2011 with the seventh-highest all-time victory total in NCAA Division III men’s basketball. In 1973-74, Winkin's final year at Colby, he served as president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. He compiled a record of 301–202–5 over his baseball coaching tenure with the school. University of Maine Winkin became head baseball coach at the University of Maine in 1975, taking over for the Jack Butterfield, who had left to become the head coach of South Florida. His arrival spawned an era of great success for the Black Bears that included six College World Series appearances and a third-place finish. Winkin's teams, composed largely of players from Maine and the other five New England states, proved to be formidable competition for major southern and western universities that had substantially larger budgets and fielded superior talent. Maine's success on the national stage was even more surprising given the state's long winters that often resulted in snow-covered ground well into April and muddy fields in May. Conditions often limited the Black Bears outdoor on-campus baseball activity to less than two months, while players for colleges in warm-weather climates were able to train outdoors year-round. Maine, like other northern schools, would head south early in the season, playing multiple weeks worth of games on the road against top-caliber teams. Winkin also pioneered an innovative system of indoor baseball training and workouts, which he detailed in one of his books. His Maine teams gained a broad following, initially as underdogs and later as respected upstarts, when ESPN televised the College World Series to national audiences. In 1975, Winkin's first season, the Black Bears set a school record with 25 wins and matched the team's best-ever .750 winning percentage, but lost in the NCAA regionals. Senior right-hander Fred Howard, a Butterfield recruit, went on to pitch in the majors with the Chicago White Sox. In 1976 the Black Bears won a new team record 29 games and earned their first CWS berth under Winkin. It was also the school's first appearance in Omaha since 1964, when Butterfield led Maine to three wins and a third-place finish. Following a 3–2 loss to Eastern Michigan, Winkin's team knocked off heavily favored Auburn (9–8) and Washington State (6–3) before being eliminated by Arizona State (7–0). The 1976 team included future major leaguer Bert Roberge and future Clemson baseball coach Jack Leggett. Maine returned to the CWS in 1981, arriving in Omaha as winners of 30 games including a 20-game winning streak. Notable players on the team included future major leaguers Kevin Buckley, Joe Johnson and Bill Swift. The Bears faced Miami in the opener, playing the Hurricanes at an even 1–1 through the first six innings behind Swift's pitching. However Miami scored five runs in the final three frames to win it, 6–1. Maine next played South Carolina in another tight game where the lead changed hands six times. The Bears gained a 7–6 edge with a pair of runs in the top of the 5th, but the Gamecocks scored six unanswered runs to win it, 12–7. Maine's loss eliminated them from the tournament, but their ability to play established power programs close impressed many observers. The 1982 team had lost six of its first games that season, but had rattled off 22 wins in 23 games including sweeps in the ECAC New England Playoffs and NCAA Northeast Regionals to again qualify for the CWS. Maine faced another opening game against Miami, who knocked the previously unbeaten Swift out of the game with a seven-run onslaught in the second inning. The Black Bear relievers subdued the Hurricanes the rest of the way, but Maine's offense could only muster a pair of runs on the way to a 7–2 loss. Johnson led the Bears back to the winner's column with a 6–0 shutout over Cal State-Fullerton, and Maine reached the final three with an 8–5 win over Stanford and John Elway. Winkin's team found themselves in yet another matchup with Miami, with a championship date against Wichita State at stake. Maine stunned the Hurricanes early, knocking out starter Rob Souza with three runs, but reliever Eddie Escribano silenced the Bears' bats the rest of the way. Miami held a slim 4–3 lead but erupted for six runs in the top of the ninth to crush Maine's hopes. Winkin's Bears tacked on a futile run in the bottom half but were eliminated by the Canes, 10–4. First baseman Kevin Bernier became the first Maine player in the Winkin era to be named to the CWS All-Tournament Team. Maine reached the CWS again in 1983, entering play with a 29–14 record. Barry Larkin had helped give Michigan a 6–2 lead with a pair of doubles in the opener, but the Black Bears made a spirited comeback with three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. However it wasn't enough as the Wolverines held on for a 6–5 victory. Winkin's team then faced Arizona State, led by Barry Bonds. It was over early as the Sun Devils scored five times in the first two innings on the way to a 7–0 shutout that eliminated the Bears. Over the summer, Winkin coached the U.S. National Baseball Team that included USC slugger Mark McGwire. Winkin's club got off to a dismal start in 1984, losing 11 of their first 13 games on a road trip that pitted them against powers such as Texas and Oklahoma. But Maine righted the ship, going 22–7 to once again reach the CWS with a 33–18 record. In their opener against Oklahoma State the Black Bears got off to a quick start, taking a 4–0 lead in the second inning. But the Cowboys stormed back behind the bats of Pete Incaviglia and Randy Whisler, who each drove in 3 runs and led OSU to a 9–5 comeback win. Maine once again was paired against Miami, their CWS nemesis. After losing 11 straight games to the Hurricanes, Winkin's Bears had finally beaten them by sweeping a two-game regular season series played earlier in the year on Maine's home field in Orono. However, in the tournament Miami again dominated, leading 8–1 after four innings and 13–3 through six. The Bears mounted a rally in the top of the ninth, scoring four runs, but UMaine was eliminated, 13–7. The Black Bears set another school record for wins in 1985, going 38–17 with another win over Miami (Winkin's first when playing at the Florida school). However Maine suffered a pair of embarrassing defeats in the ECAC North Playoffs, losing to La Salle (10–2) and Long Island (4–1). Winkin's club failed to qualify for the NCAA playoffs for the first time since 1979. The 1986 season brought a return to Omaha for the Black Bears. Despite losing 8 of their first 10 games, and 16 of 25, Maine won 40+ games for the first time in school history. The Bears arrived at the CWS sporting a 41–21 record under Winkin, led by future big leaguers Mike Bordick and Jeff Plympton. Plympton was joined in the Black Bears pitching rotation by Scott Morse, Steve Loubier and Dale Plummer, and all four would ultimately be drafted by major league clubs. The opening game of the CWS, against Arizona, would result in perhaps the most heartbreaking loss of Winkin's career. Behind the ace stuff of Morse and the booming bat of catcher Bill Reynolds, Maine built a 7–0 lead and still held a 7–1 margin in the bottom of the eighth inning. But it all fell apart as the Wildcats scored four runs in that frame on a pair of two-run homers by Gar Millay and Gary Alexander. In the last of the ninth Arizona's Mike Senne singled home a run, setting the stage for Dave Shermet to blast a two-out, two-run, game-winning home run that stunned the Bears, 8–7. The next game, Winkin's last in a College World Series, pitted Maine against Louisiana State. The Tigers built an early 6–0 lead, riding the bat of Jeff Yurtin who went 4-for-4 with five RBI and his 10th home run of the season. Maine out-hit LSU 11 to 8, but the Tigers turned four double plays to quash any potential rallies and hang on for an 8–4 win that eliminated the Black Bears. Despite the pair of losses, Reynolds was named to the All-Tournament Team. Maine would field other strong teams during Winkin's tenure, but changes in NCAA tournament seeding procedures helped prevent the Bears from earning another trip to Omaha. Instead of each regional bracket being stocked with teams from the region, two of the top 16 national seeds would be assigned to each regional. This virtually assured that all eight College World Series slots would be filled by the traditional southern and western power schools from warm weather climates. In 1999 the odds became even longer for Maine when the NCAA abandoned neutral site regionals and assigned the top eight national seeds as host schools for each regional. Others who played under Winkin at Maine and reached the major leagues included Mark Sweeney and Larry Thomas. Stump Merrill, an assistant coach at UMaine under Winkin, went on to manage the New York Yankees. Husson University In 1996 Winkin joined Husson University as an assistant under head baseball coach John Kolasinski. He also held the positions of senior lecturer and vice president for sports leadership as the school's first Fellow in Sports and Leadership. Winkin became head coach of the Eagles in November 2003 after Kolasinski departed to take a similar position at Siena Heights University. On March 12, 2006, the 86-year-old Winkin became the 44th collegiate baseball coach to reach 1,000 career victories when Husson defeated Drew University 6–3 in Tampa, Florida. On December 10, 2007, Winkin suffered a stroke while out on his daily walk in Bangor, Maine.The illness left him with partial paralysis of his right side and inhibited his speech. Winkin remained Husson's head coach for the 2008 season, but with his return uncertain in January the school appointed Jason Harvey as interim coach. Winkin officially stepped down after the season but remained as an assistant coach, with Harvey formally replacing him as head coach in July. While leading Husson, Winkin compiled an overall record of 100–74–8. He has two children, David and Mary, and eight grandchildren. He is Roman Catholic, an avid fan of swing-era jazz, and is affectionately nicknamed "Wink" by friends and former players. Winkin developed close friendships with Red Sox CEO John Harrington and longtime Maine sports benefactor Harold Alfond, who was a Red Sox minority owner. Alfond's grandchildren came to call Winkin "Papa". Prior to his stroke, Winkin was known to walk and jog three miles every day. Though he used a wheelchair afterwards, his speech substantially recovered. Winkin died on July 19, 2014 at the age of 94. Awards and honors Winkin is a member of the University of Maine Sports Hall of Fame, Husson University Sports Hall of Fame, American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Maine Baseball Hall of Fame, and Maine Sports Hall of Fame. New England Division I Baseball Coach of the Year in 1975. In 1987, Winkin received the James Lynah Distinguished Achievement Award from the ECAC. In 1992, the Maine Baseball Coaches Association established the John W. Winkin Award, given annually to the best high school baseball player in the State of Maine. The University of Maine retired Winkin’s jersey number 5 in 1999, making him the third baseball figure to be so honored by the school. As part of a commemorative series covering every U.S. state, Sports Illustrated magazine ranked Winkin among The 50 Greatest Maine Sports Figures, placing him at #16. In 2000 and 2001 Winkin donated $250,000 to upgrade the Husson baseball facilities. The facility is now called the Dr. John W. Winkin Sports Complex. Since 2007 he has been a five-time nominee for the National College Baseball Hall of Fame, established in 2006. On October 19, 2009, Husson University inducted Coach Winkin into its Sports Hall of Fame. Coach Winkin has served as chair at both the Regional and Super Regional sites for the NCAA over the past 10 years. On March 12, 2011, Colby College honored Winkin by retiring his jersey number 5. See ceremony here . https://alchetron.com/John-Winkin On April 11, 2013, Winkin was announced as a member of the 2013 induction class for the National College Baseball Hall of Fame. He was present for the induction ceremonies in Lubbock, Texas, on June 29, 2013. On September 20, 2014, Husson University honored Winkin by retiring his jersey number 5. John Winkin to be inducted into hall of fame Former Colby, Husson and Maine coach John Winkin will be inducted into the college baseball hall of fame later this year https://www.wmtw.com/article/john-winkin-to-be-inducted-into-hall-of-fame/1843187 Portland Press Herald . Posted July 19, 2014 https://www.pressherald.com/2014/07/19/john-winkin-94-dies-saturday/ https://www.foxcroftacademy.org/mr-baseball-recipient-ryan-rebar-meets-the-man-for-whom-the-award-is-named/ Induction to the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame 1975

Roland M Wirths, Falmouth, Sports editor for the local Gannett newspapers.

When he died suddenly on November 30, 1993, Bob Woolf, 65, was nationally and internationally recognized for negotiating more than 2,000 contracts in the field of sports and entertainment. A pioneer in the role of sports agent, Woolf was also the author of two books, “Behind Closed Doors" and “Friendly Persuasion". Named one of the 100 Most Powerful and Influential Attorneys in America by the National Law Journal and one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Sports by the Sporting News, Woolf's experiences took him from weekends with Prince Charles and Prince Rainier to informal meetings with Mikhail Gorbachev and collaborative efforts with Armand Hammer. Yet, for ell his high-profile activities, Woolf never forgot his roots on Munjoy Hill in Portland. On a visit to his home city to receive an award from the Alumni Association of the Boys and Girls Club of America, he visited the local club on Cumberland Avenue. The club has photographs taken that day of Woolf shooting baskets with children. Woolf was a dues-paying member of the association and a generous contributor. Humble about his success, Woolf seemed genuinely surprised by what he had achieved. "Who would've thought a kid from Munjoy Hill could be sitting here, saying this," said Woolf during an interview when he was in Portland. The first major league baseball player represented by Woolf was Earl Wilson, who pitched a no-hit game for the Red Sox in 1962. Hie subsequently represented baseball players Luis Tiant, Carl Yastrzemski, Ken Harrelson, Thurman Munson, Bob Stanley and Mark Fidrych. Also basketball players Larry Bird, John Havlicek, Julius Erving, Dominique Wilkins and Robert Parish. Also football players Raghib “Rocket* Ismail, Jim Plunkett, Dexter Manley and Mike Buck, the former UMaine quarterback until recently with the New Orleans Saints. Some athletes, including Erving, fired Woolf for his refusal to re-negotiate for more money in the middle of their contracts. "He created a set of ethical standards that very few of his colleagues in the business were adhering to, “said Richard Lapchick, director of the Center for Sport in Society at Northeastern University. "He really was a lover of sports, as opposed to simply using it to gain his livelihood. The son of Jewish immigrants, Woolf attended Boston College on a basketball scholarship. He earned his law degree at Boston University. Woolf, however, never forgot delivering newspapers up and down Congress Street in his native city or walking to the (then) Boys Club or Setting pins. In his book "Behind Closed Doors," Woolf said this about Portland, where he grew up in the 1940's: “This is the kind of small, dry, unhurried town so basic to the heritage of Maine, the kind that is so ripe for jokes. But I loved it, and still do, and go back as often as I can, maybe six or seven times a year. It helps cleanse my mind of the latest crisis or legal tangle involving one of my athletes.” "There is something encouraging about a place that never changes, where the air and the streams are still pure and no one forces himself on you. There is, always will be, a lot of Portland in me." https://fenwaypark100.org/2014/04/23/earl-wilson-trailblazer-pitcher-humanitarian/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyNJBar4K9c From Fold 3 Legacy pages https://www.fold3.com/page/641433334-robert-g-woolf/stories One of his first major clients was Yastrzemski, the Red Sox slugger, who also became a close and generous friend. When he retired, Yastrzemski gave Mr. Woolf a wealth of his personal baseball memorabilia, which Mr. Woolf displayed proudly in his office on what became known as the Yaz wall. Office Overlooks Fenway Park It was no accident that Mr. Woolf's office in the John Hancock building overlooked Fenway Park. Visitors who wondered whether the sports agent was a true sports fan had only to take a look through the telescope at his office window to find out: It was permanently aimed and focused on the Fenway mound and batter's box. As his fame spread and his client list grew, Mr. Woolf, who estimated that he had negotiated more than 20,000 contracts by 1992, grew increasingly concerned by the spendthrift ways of young clients who didn't know the value of a million dollars. Accordingly he often insisted on becoming the personal manager of the players he represented, overseeing their investments to make sure they would live comfortably after their peak earning years. He even went so far as to put his clients on allowances, or tried to. First-Class Allowance https://www.nytimes.com/1976/09/06/archives/bob-woolf-behind-closed-doors.html "Professional ethics would never permit Woolf to say, “No, that's too much,” to some club owner's offers, yet he is not out after the employer's last dime or even his last dollar. “I like to leave something on the table for the other guy,” he says. “I feel we're all in this together. I want the owner to make a profit and I feel strongly that he must have some protection for his investment. It's important to all of us that the game prospers.”

Using a baffling underhand delivery. Willie Wood strung together consecutive victories over Saco Valley League opponents in 1930. The string Included four no-hitters. Wood was invited to try out for the Boston Red Sox. but because he was a married man with children, he chose to bypass the chance and remain as baseball coach at Thornton Academy. Several Maine communities were to benefit from that decision. During World War II, Wood coached baseball, basketball and golf for the Saco-Lowell Activities Association. He coached three sports at St. Louis High, once donning a uniform for a football scrimmage. He played a prominent role in developing athletes at CK Burns Grammar School in Saco. Wood became superintendent of parks and in South Portland in 1947 and coached city and American Legion baseball teams. He returned to Saco in 1349 and launched the city’s first recreation program. He was employed by the Weyerhaeuser Co. in Westbrook and died in 1962.

Colby Wood rates as one of Eastern Maine's leading baseball and all-round sport figures dating over a period of several decades. A all-season athlete at Ellsworth High School, 1929-32, he collected 14 letters. Colby played centerfield and shortstop and pitched for the Eagles who were undefeated his last two seasons. Wood played football, basketball, and baseball for the Bangor, Maine School of Commerce (forerunner of Husson College) for two years, led the team with a .456 batting average and eight home runs in 1934. Heavy play in semi-pro baseball followed, particularly with the fast Ellsworth Red Wings Wood organized with John Foss in 1935. The Wings won 244 games and lost 62 in eight seasons, drawing crowds of up to 5,000. They were Maine Seacoast League Champions in 1939. Wood was signed by the Boston Braves in 1938 and assigned to Beaver Falls, Pa., where he played for several weeks before being released because of an injury to his throwing arm. Colby managed and played (first base for the Navy Shellbacks In the Central Pacific League as they won titles in 1944 and '45. Later, Wood led the Lamoine Baseball Club featuring some of the top Eastern Maine talent that won a state championship and finished second another year when the club hosted the title tournament. As coach of the Ellsworth Foxes in Little League for 15 years, he guided his young charges to nine championships and sent along many players to Ellsworth High and collegiate stardom. Previously, he coached basketball (girls as well as boys) and baseball ten years at Thomaston High School and added short stints at summer, Ellsworth High and Georges Stevens Academy. Wood was also atop basketball referee for over 20 years, working over 1,000 games, along with many years as a baseball umpire and as a long time mailman he’s one of Ellsworth’s most popular citizens.

In the Maine Baseball Firmament there is no brighter galaxy than the Woodbreys and no brighter star in the cluster than Gorham’'s Mark. The son of Ed Woodbrey, a stellar player himself who later coached and scouted, Mark learned his lessons well and was a standout of Gorham High. He won 11 letters in soccer, basketball, and baseball and received the coveted Knapton Award as the Ram’s top scholar-athlete in 1971. He was also a rare All-American soccer selection in his senior high. While in high school he was also a top-notch second baseman with Jim Burrill’s Manchester Post nines. Mark joined another Pine Tree native, coach Bill Thurston, at Amherst college and fashioned a fabulous record with the Lord Jeffs. He lettered all four seasons in baseball and won Amherst MVP honors in both junior and senior years. In both years Mark was selected 1st Team All-New England and second team All-American. He was selected in 1975 to receive the Howard Hill Mossman Cup for bringing the greatest honor in athletics to Amherst. While starring on the diamond, Mark was also a soccer stalwart and holds a unique distinction for Maine products, he was drafted for two professional sports. Both the American Soccer League (Rhode Island) and North American Soccer League (Boston Minutemen) selected Mark while the San Francisco Giants also drafted the Amherst Ace. From 1975 to 1979 Mark cavorted in the Giant farm chain. He began as a second baseman at Cedar Rapids (A) lowa. He soon moved to centerfield and was a California League All-Star centerfielder at Class A Fresno. He played Double A ball at Waterbury and Shreveport where a broken finger on his throwing hand (second injury of the same digit) ended his season at .245 and his pro career at 26. Mark and his wife Vicki are the proud parents of a one-year old son, Craig, and Mark is operating the Lovell Lumber Company. Posted May 9, 2010 Solloway: He got lost in the pile, not the shuffle https://www.pressherald.com/2010/05/09/he-got-lost-in-the-pile-not-the-shuffle_2010-05-09/ STANDISH – Craig Woodbrey was on the ground and in survival mode, drawing his knees to his chest and covering his head with his arms. One by one his St. Joseph’s teammates jumped on him. It was a classic dog-pile celebration. This is what happens when it’s your hit with two outs in the bottom of the ninth that drives in the run that not only wins the game, but claims the Great Northeast Athletic Conference baseball title for your team. Somewhere at the bottom of that dog pile you’ll find Craig Woodbrey, whose hit with two outs in the ninth drove in the winning run for St. Joseph’s in a conference final last Sunday. Somewhere at the bottom of that dog pile you’ll find Craig Woodbrey, whose hit with two outs in the ninth drove in the winning run for St. Joseph’s in a conference final last Sunday. St. Joseph’s College Photo This is what happens when everyone knows the road you took to this juncture was filled with potholes and detours. He’s being set up, thought St. Joseph’s Coach Will Sanborn, as Woodbrey walked to the batter’s box last Sunday. Not to fail, but to succeed. High school baseball fans remember the hard-hitting senior who played in the outfield and pitched, helping lead Gorham High to the Class B state championship in 2005. He hit .324 for his high school career. He led his conference in the unlikely combination of saves and triples in his junior year. Just tell me what to do, coach. Older fans will remember his father, Mark Woodbrey, a talented infielder drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 14th round out of Amherst College. Andre Dawson was selected three rounds earlier that year by the Montreal Expos. Dave Stewart was taken in the 16th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers. The elder Woodbrey played five seasons in the Giants’ farm system. He left baseball after two seasons at the Double-A level. His minor league career average was .263

Vic Woodbrey never forgot what baseball coach Rupert Johnson taught him at Standish High School: Basic skills will win 80 percent of the time. Growing up in the Sebago Lake area Woodbrey was encouraged to play baseball by his father Victor Sr. The Woodbreys were an athletic family; Vic's brothers Eddie, Henry and Jimmy all played baseball for the University of Maine A star pitcher, Vic Woodbrey played four years of varsity baseball and basketball at Standish. He was an All-Triple C selection in both sports. Woodbrey went on to play three years of baseball and two of basketball for the University of Maine. He was a teammate of Al Hackett, another Hall of Fame inductee. Eddie Woodbrey caught for his brother Vic for the Sebago Lake Chevrolairs, a semi-pro team sponsored by their father. Vic and Eddie also played summer ball for a baseball team in St Johnsbury VT. Woodbrey has coached baseball at Wilton Academy, Lawrence, Bonny Eagle and Cape Elizabeth. He has guided the Capers to Maine Class B titles. including one in June.