1951 Rutherford County Owls Roster
Team Record: 62-48
Finished 5th in the WCL
Manager: Halley Wilson (62-48)
Affiliation: Chicago Cubs
Location: Spindale, North Carolina
Attendance: 32,428, Avg. 590
The Rutherford County Owls of the Western Carolina League ended the 1951 season with a record of 62 wins and 48 losses, finishing fifth in the WCL.
The Owls plated 717 runs and yielded 616 runs. Bill McKenney led hitters with significant playing time with a .322 average. George Long topped Rutherford County with 13 wins and a team-best 2.12 ERA, leading hurlers with significant time on the mound.
John Pyecha played in Major League Baseball during his career, the only member of the Rutherford County Owls to do so.
Halley Wilson served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gene Baldyga | January 28, 1933 | |||||
| William Ballinger | January 17, 1926 | |||||
| Joe Caputo | L | L | September 4, 1932 | 6'0" | 175 | Huntington, MA US |
| Earl Castellow | R | March 24, 1932 | 6'1" | 180 | ||
| Thomas Cumby | R | 6'3" | 195 | |||
| Hal Dedmon | L | January 16, 1922 | 5'10" | 180 | ||
| Murray Diamond | ||||||
| Romas Duncan | L | January 9, 1926 | 6'0" | 190 | Buncombe County, NC US | |
| Francis Essic | R | May 29, 1925 | 5'11" | |||
| Ladell Ford | L | R | April 11, 1931 | 6'0" | 185 | |
| Irvin Fortune | R | May 20, 1920 | 6'0" | 185 | ||
| Samuel Frazier | R | R | 6'2" | 175 | ||
| Herbert Kiger | April 12, 1932 | |||||
| Fred Konrad | ||||||
| John Krysiak | ||||||
| Harold Lambeth | L | April 11, 1929 | 5'10" | 175 | Durham, NC US | |
| George Long | R | R | February 5, 1930 | 6'1" | 197 | |
| Gordon McDonald | L | L | 6'0" | 165 | ||
| Jerry McKeithan | ||||||
| Bill McKenney | R | March 28, 1927 | 6'0" | 195 | ||
| Rutledge Moon | L | R | July 3, 1928 | 5'11" | ||
| Dick Patton | L | L | 5'11" | 180 | ||
| Dan Priest | L | 6'0" | 200 | |||
| John Pyecha | R | R | November 25, 1931 | 6'5" | 200 | Aliquippa, PA US |
| Jerry Rendlesham | R | 6'3" | 181 | |||
| Bruce Schubele | R | 5'10" | 160 | |||
| Gerald Sheehan | R | March 15, 1932 | 6'4" | 185 | ||
| William Sykes | ||||||
| Jack Wallace | August 9, 1933 | Alton, MO US | ||||
| James Whiteside | R | R | 5'11" | 178 | ||
| Lloyd Wiedemann | R | R | February 7, 1927 | 6'3" | 185 | |
| Robert Withrow | February 16, 1924 | |||||
| Duane Zimmer | R | R | November 16, 1927 | 5'7" | 155 | Minot, ND US |
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.
