Bullock County native Billy Hitchcock played nine seasons in the majors

Alabama's Billy Hitchcock

Alabama has a long, unique history when it comes to its connections with the sport of baseball. Today, July 31, is the birthday of baseball great William "Billy" Clyde Hitchcock, who was born in the tiny community of Inverness, which is in Bullock County, not far from Union Springs.

Hitchcock’s legacy has somewhat faded into the past these days, but in his heyday he was something else. When it comes to baseball, he pretty much did everything but sell peanuts at the game. He even played all four infield positions during his nine-year pro career.

Hitchcock made his Major League debut with the Detroit Tigers on April 14, 1942, but his baseball career was interrupted by World War II. Like a lot of pro ball players, Hitchcock served in the military during WWII, putting in three years with the Army Air Force in the Pacific theatre of the war.

The war ended in September 1945, and Hitchcock resumed his pro baseball career in 1946.

Hitchcock went on to play for the Boston Red Sox, the Philadelphia Athletics, the St. Louis Browns and the Washington Senators before ending his career in 1953. His last official appearance as a Major League player was on Aug. 27, 1953 with the Detroit Tigers. His involvement in baseball didn’t end there however.

He went on to coach, manage and scout for various Major League teams and later served as the president of the Southern League, the minor league organization that now consists of such teams at the Mobile Bay Bears and the Montgomery Biscuits. Sadly, Hitchcock passed away in Opelika at the age of 89 on April 9, 2006.

Diehard Auburn football fans in the reading audience will be familiar with Hitchcock because he first became famous for his performances on the gridiron at Auburn. In fact, he was so good that he was an All-SEC tailback and led the Tigers to their first ever bowl game, the 1937 Bacardi Bowl in Havana, Cuba.

This game was somewhat historic because it marked the first time that two U.S. college football teams ever played outside the United States. Auburn played Villanova, and the game ended in a 7-7 tie. Hitchcock scored Auburn’s only touchdown on a 40-yard run in the first quarter.

Interestingly, Hitchcock’s older brother, Jimmy, was also an outstanding athlete and was Auburn’s first All-American in both baseball and football. Nicknamed “The Phantom of Union Springs,” he played quarterback, running back and punted at Auburn and helped lead the team to a SEC title in 1932. After college, he played seven seasons of pro baseball for the Boston Bees, which later became the Atlanta Braves.

When his playing days were done, he went back to Auburn and was the head baseball coach and an assistant football coach. Like his younger brother, he also served in the military during WWII, spending his years in the service with the U.S. Navy. Jimmy Hitchcock would precede his brother in death, passing away at the untimely age of 47 on July 23, 1959.

If you go to a baseball game in Auburn today, you’ll be watching the game at Samford Stadium-Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park. In 2003, Auburn added “Hitchcock Field” to the venue’s name in honor of both Hitchcock brothers.