1954 Columbia Reds Roster
Team Record: 77-62
Finished 4th in the SAL
Manager: Ernie White (77-62)
Affiliation: Cincinnati Redlegs
Location: Columbia, South Carolina
Ballpark: Capital City Stadium
Attendance: 75,108, Avg. 1,081
Playoffs - Jacksonville Braves 3 games, Columbia Reds 1
The Columbia Reds of the South Atlantic League ended the 1954 season with a record of 77 wins and 62 losses, finishing fourth in the SAL.
The Reds scored 733 runs and allowed 630 runs. Frank Robinson paced all qualifying hitters on the roster with a .336 average. Ralph Birkofer topped Columbia with 14 wins, while Larry Hoover recorded a 1.91 ERA, best among hurlers with significant time on the mound.
Frank Robinson, Hank Ruszkowski, Don Gross, John Oldham, Dick Murphy, Ken Polivka and Barney Martin were all players from the 1954 Columbia Reds who played in the Majors during their careers.
Ernie White served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Amato | R | R | 6'3" | 220 | ||
| John Bebber | R | R | June 25, 1923 | 6'0" | 172 | Chicago, IL US |
| Ralph Birkofer | R | R | April 6, 1934 | 6'1" | 200 | Cincinnati, OH US |
| Thomas Biskup | R | 5'9" | 162 | |||
| Robert Cannon | L | R | September 5, 1932 | 6'1" | 200 | |
| Mickey Crossin | R | R | September 16, 1930 | 6'2" | 193 | New Orleans, LA US |
| Bob Decker | R | R | August 23, 1932 | 5'9" | 170 | St. Joseph, MO US |
| Allen Flaugher | R | L | June 16, 1929 | 5'10" | 160 | |
| Bill Ford | R | December 3, 1927 | 5'10" | 170 | ||
| Don Gross | L | L | June 30, 1931 | 5'11" | 186 | Weidman, MI US |
| William Harris | R | 5'11" | 190 | |||
| Gene Hatton | R | 6'0" | 176 | |||
| Nels Hoerner | R | R | March 6, 1932 | 6'3" | 183 | St. Louis, MO US |
| Larry Hoover | R | R | June 21, 1931 | 6'1" | 206 | Cincinnati, OH US |
| Tom Horton | R | R | 6'1" | 195 | ||
| John Jackson | R | R | June 1, 1926 | 5'10" | 180 | Lumberton, MS US |
| Kirby Jackson | L | R | May 3, 1930 | 6'0" | 170 | Sumter, SC US |
| Oscar Khederian | R | R | October 31, 1920 | 5'9" | 165 | |
| Vernon Kilburg | R | R | 6'2" | 200 | ||
| Barney Martin | R | R | March 3, 1923 | 5'11" | 170 | Columbia, SC US |
| Odell Martin | R | R | August 25, 1931 | 5'11" | 165 | |
| Wilbur McConnell | L | 5'9" | 178 | |||
| Richard Meder | R | R | 6'1" | 185 | ||
| Dick Murphy | L | L | October 25, 1931 | 5'11" | 170 | Cincinnati, OH US |
| Ed Nietopski | R | November 26, 1927 | 5'9" | 170 | ||
| Bob O'Neal | L | December 8, 1925 | 6'0" | 204 | Cutler, IL US | |
| John Oldham | R | L | November 6, 1932 | 6'3" | 198 | Salinas, CA US |
| Howard Padgett | R | 6'1" | 175 | |||
| Carl Paylor | R | R | May 6, 1930 | 6'0" | 180 | McConnellsburg, PA US |
| Ken Polivka | L | L | January 21, 1921 | 5'10" | 175 | Chicago, IL US |
| Bill Raehse | L | L | 6'3" | 175 | ||
| Daniel Rhame | R | R | February 10, 1932 | 6'2" | 205 | Columbia, SC US |
| Frank Robinson | R | R | August 31, 1935 | 6'1" | 183 | Beaumont, TX US |
| Hank Ruszkowski | R | R | November 10, 1925 | 6'0" | 190 | Cleveland, OH US |
| William Schimchak | R | 5'11" | 175 | |||
| Norman Shope | R | R | June 14, 1915 | 6'0" | 190 | |
| Jim St. Clair | R | R | November 13, 1933 | 6'1" | 180 | Taylorsville, NC US |
| Harold Stamey | L | R | April 30, 1928 | 6'1" | 190 | |
| Robert Stutts | R | January 30, 1932 | 5'8" | 175 | Charlotte, NC US | |
| Max Sumwalt | L | L | 5'8" | 155 | ||
| Chico Terry | R | R | December 17, 1932 | 6'0" | 180 | Cruces, Las Villas CU |
| Carl Wells | L | L | May 16, 1931 | 6'1" | 175 | Seattle, WA US |
| Rudolph Yandoli | R | R | 5'11" | 175 |
Average attendance is based upon the number of actual home dates where known (most leagues from 1992 and later). Where the number of home dates is not known, the average is calculated using half the team's total games.
