1961 Shreveport Sports Roster
Team Record: 69-84
Finished 7th in the SA
Manager: Les Peden (69-84)
Affiliation: Kansas City Athletics
Location: Shreveport, Louisiana
Ballpark: SPAR Stadium
Attendance: 28,349, Avg. 371
The Shreveport Sports of the Southern Association ended the 1961 season with a record of 69 wins and 84 losses, finishing seventh in the SA.
The Sports scored 783 runs and allowed 840 runs, most in the circuit. Bill Kern led Shreveport with 24 home runs, while Ronald Hogg and Alex George walloped 15 or more also. Bill Kern recorded 91 runs batted in. Ron Debus topped hitters with significant playing time by connecting at a .303 clip. Dave Wickersham paced the team with 14 wins, and Dale Willis recorded a 3.09 ERA, best among qualifying pitchers.
Bobby Durnbaugh, Alex George, Leo Posada, Bill Kirk, Bill Kern, Ray Blemker, Dale Willis, Les Peden, Dave Wickersham, Lou Klimchock, Fred Norman, Gordon MacKenzie, Al Grunwald, Frank Cipriani, Dutch Romberger, José Santiago, Harry Taylor and Dan Pfister were all players from the 1961 Shreveport Sports who played in the Majors during their careers.
Les Peden served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Blemker | R | L | August 9, 1937 | 5'11" | 190 | Huntingburg, IN US |
| Charles Bogan | R | L | November 12, 1934 | 6'2" | 185 | Fayetteville, AR US |
| Patrick Centilli | R | R | March 16, 1938 | 5'11" | 185 | |
| Frank Cipriani | R | R | April 14, 1941 | 6'0" | 180 | Buffalo, NY US |
| Ron Debus | L | R | July 2, 1937 | 5'11" | 185 | |
| Bobby Durnbaugh | R | R | January 15, 1933 | 5'8" | 170 | Dayton, OH US |
| Bob Flynn | R | R | April 2, 1942 | 6'2" | 195 | |
| Tony Frulio | R | R | October 11, 1936 | 5'10" | 175 | Brooklyn, NY US |
| Alex George | L | R | September 27, 1938 | 5'11" | 170 | Kansas City, MO US |
| Al Grunwald | L | L | February 13, 1930 | 6'4" | 210 | Los Angeles, CA US |
| Robert Hoffman | R | L | September 13, 1936 | 6'2" | 160 | |
| Ronald Hogg | L | R | September 19, 1938 | 5'10" | 185 | Freeland, PA US |
| Woody Huyke | R | R | September 28, 1937 | 5'11" | 185 | San Juan, PR |
| James Johnson | R | R | September 13, 1935 | 5'10" | 170 | |
| Neil Junker | L | R | July 25, 1938 | 5'10" | 175 | |
| Bill Kern | R | R | February 28, 1933 | 6'2" | 184 | Coplay, PA US |
| Bill Kirk | L | L | July 19, 1934 | 6'0" | 165 | Coatesville, PA US |
| Lou Klimchock | L | R | October 15, 1939 | 5'11" | 180 | Hostetter, PA US |
| Gordon MacKenzie | R | R | July 9, 1937 | 5'11" | 175 | St. Petersburg, FL US |
| Fred Norman | S | L | August 20, 1942 | 5'8" | 155 | San Antonio, TX US |
| Ronald Overcash | L | L | June 26, 1940 | 6'1" | 190 | |
| Les Peden | R | R | September 17, 1923 | 6'1" | 212 | Azle, TX US |
| Dan Pfister | R | R | December 20, 1936 | 6'0" | 187 | Plainfield, NJ US |
| Leo Posada | R | R | April 1, 1934 | 5'11" | 175 | La Habana, La Habana CU |
| Dutch Romberger | R | R | May 26, 1927 | 6'0" | 185 | Klingerstown, PA US |
| José Santiago | R | R | August 15, 1940 | 6'2" | 185 | Juana Diaz, PR |
| Charles Secrest | L | L | January 9, 1935 | 5'9" | 175 | |
| Paul Seitz | R | R | August 16, 1940 | 6'3" | 190 | |
| Ray Tabacchi | R | R | 5'10" | 155 | ||
| Harry Taylor | R | R | December 2, 1935 | 6'0" | 185 | San Angelo, TX US |
| Jack Tupper | R | R | August 29, 1937 | 5'10" | 175 | |
| Dave Wickersham | R | R | September 27, 1935 | 6'3" | 188 | Erie, PA US |
| Dale Willis | R | R | May 29, 1936 | 5'11" | 165 | Calhoun, GA 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.
