Chapter 12
Mel McGaha
In the 1950s and '60s, there was no better ambassador for Shreveport in baseball than Fred Melvin McGaha.
Mel went from outstanding three-sport athlete at the University of Arkansas to pro baseball and basketball player, college basketball coach, minor-league player-manager and then, in the 1960s, major-league manager and coach.
And starting in 1953, for three-plus decades, a Shreveport resident with his family.
And starting in 1953, for three-plus decades, a Shreveport resident with his family.
He was a Sports' player in 1953, and the next year -- after Mickey Livingston was let go -- Sports general managing partner Bonneau Peters made Mel, at age 26, the player-manager. He stayed in that role for four seasons; the newspapers often called the Sports the "Macmen."
His first team ('54) won Shreveport’s first Texas League regular-season championship; his second won the TL playoff championship and played in the Dixie Series.
He was a teacher of the game's fundamentals -- many times in youth clinics in Shreveport and North Louisiana -- and a solid strategist, with a direct, honest and, at times, forceful personality.
"I can't say enough good things about Mel, I thought the world of him," said good friend and golfing buddy Billy Muffett in a 2002 interview. Muffett pitched for McGaha and the Sports in 1955, including a no-hitter in the playoffs, and went on to pitch in the majors and was a longtime MLB pitching coach.
"A coach or player is not going to make everyone happy," he added, "but 90 percent of the players liked Mel. You knew right where you stood with him. He pulled no punches. ... He was a no-nonsense guy, but he could get along with anyone, if they wanted to get along."
J.W. Jones was a Sports catcher through most of the 1950s and also stayed in the city as a resident, and he, too, had "high regard" for McGaha.
"Mel treated you like a man," Jones said. "Professionally, he expected good things from us, but he did not ride players. He was always willing to help you, if you needed it. ... He was just an excellent teacher, an excellent manager."
The 1956 and 1957 Sports teams did not compete for playoff spots, although the '56 team featured the Texas League home-run record breaker, Ken Guettler, with 62 homers. After the '57 season, the Shreveport franchise folded and Mel moved to the Southern Association to manage Mobile, Ala., in 1958-59.
He managed minor-league championship teams in 1959 (Mobile) and 1960 (Toronto Maple Leafs, International League), then became a major-league coach (Cleveland Indians) in 1961.
His first major-league manager's job was with Cleveland in 1962; he was fired after a 78-82 record and sixth-place finish.
He moved on as a coach and off-season front-office aide with the Kansas City Athletics, and in the middle of the 1964 season, he was first sent to the front office by notorious team owner Charlie Finley and then quickly made the field manager of a last-place team. He was fired by Finley (no unique happening) after a 5-21 start in 1965.
His MLB managerial record: 123-173.
He then managed in the Houston Astros' system at Oklahoma City (Class AAA) in 1966 and '67, and in a Shreveport connection, became first-base coach for the 1968-69 Astros while fellow Shreveport resident and ex-Sports manager Salty Parker was the third-base coach.
A Louisiana native (born in Bastrop in 1926), McGaha grew up in Mabelvale, Ark. (Pulaski County), a town later annexed into Little Rock.
He did not play football in high school, but after starring in basketball and baseball, went out at University of Arkansas and made the team as an end. Solidly built at 6-foot-2, 198 pounds, he became a three-sport star for the Razorbacks from 1943 to 1948 (one year, 1945, he spent in military service).
He played for Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl at the end of the 1946 season -- the "blizzard" 0-0 tie with LSU -- and in the Dixie Bowl in 1947 when he ran back a pass interception 72 yards for a touchdown.
In 1970, he was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.
An outfielder-catcher in high school and outfielder-first baseman at Arkansas, he signed a pro ball contract with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1948. He also stayed with basketball and in the 1948-49 season played in the pros -- NBA -- appearing in 51 games as a reserve guard with the New York Knickerbockers (averaged 3.5 points a game).
In his first pro baseball season, he was with the Duluth Dukes (Northwest League) when the team bus collided head-on with a truck, Six team members were killed and McGaha was one of 13 injured. He recovered, but the injuries -- mostly a weakened shoulder -- limited his playing ability and he never made the majors as a player.
Still, he played 11 minor-league seasons and was a versatile performer -- outfielder, first baseman, sometimes shortstop and even a pitcher. He was a dependable, often clutch, pinch-hitter.
He reached Class AAA with Columbus in 1949 and '50, then spent the bulk of his career in the Texas League (two games with Houston in '48, then full seasons with the Buffs in 1950-52 before five years with the Sports).
He was a .277 hitter in 903 regular-season minor-league games, with a best of .326 for the 1956 Sports. His Shreveport regular-season totals: 438 games, .274 average, 48 doubles, four triples, 32 home runs, 181 RBI.
At one point, he was a volunteer assistant coach with Arkansas basketball and at the start of his Shreveport career, he was head basketball coach for two seasons at Arkansas-Monticello (the Boll Weevils).
"Basketball was his first love," said son Fred -- who played baseball at Shreveport's Fair Park High and then at Louisiana Tech (where he was a conference batting champion), signed a pro contract (Cardinals' chain, 1972-73) and wound up briefly playing outfield for the '74 Shreveport Captains. He is a longtime attorney in Monroe, La.
After leaving pro ball after the 1969 season, Mel become director of SPAR (the Shreveport Parks and Recreation department) through the mid-1970s, then moved across the river to head the recreation department in Bossier City.
All the while, he remained involved in pro baseball -- with the Shreveport Braves and then the Shreveport Captains as an advisor to team officials and with public relations.
In helping then-Captains owner Ray Johnston in the early 1970s, he lobbied for a new stadium in the city. That did not materialize then, but McGaha remained connected to Shreveport's team.
"He was as supportive of me as anyone in town," said Taylor Moore, Captains' team president and operating partner for more than 20 years. "He was more helpful than most anyone knew.
"He loved the game and wanted it to be successful in Shreveport."
Fred McGaha, of course, was connected to baseball from his early days. "When we were kids," he recalled of him and his older sister, "he [Mel] was not home a lot of the year. But when school was out, we would go to where he was [managing or coaching].
"For a young kid like me, growing up in big-league locker rooms was a lot of fun. I got to know a lot of big-league players. I'd be out there shagging balls in the outfield and at times I'd be next to [Mickey] Mantle or [Roger] Maris. That was something to remember."
And Mel, the tough baseball man, was not a tough father.
"He was not overbearing, he was not overly strict," Fred recalled in 2002. "He let me make my own decisions. Some were good and some weren't. He let me know about the ones that weren't."
In the early 1980s, Mel -- remarried after his first wife Tina's death -- moved to Disney, Okla. He died Feb. 3, 2002, in Tulsa at age 75.
His first team ('54) won Shreveport’s first Texas League regular-season championship; his second won the TL playoff championship and played in the Dixie Series.
He was a teacher of the game's fundamentals -- many times in youth clinics in Shreveport and North Louisiana -- and a solid strategist, with a direct, honest and, at times, forceful personality.
"I can't say enough good things about Mel, I thought the world of him," said good friend and golfing buddy Billy Muffett in a 2002 interview. Muffett pitched for McGaha and the Sports in 1955, including a no-hitter in the playoffs, and went on to pitch in the majors and was a longtime MLB pitching coach.
"A coach or player is not going to make everyone happy," he added, "but 90 percent of the players liked Mel. You knew right where you stood with him. He pulled no punches. ... He was a no-nonsense guy, but he could get along with anyone, if they wanted to get along."
J.W. Jones was a Sports catcher through most of the 1950s and also stayed in the city as a resident, and he, too, had "high regard" for McGaha.
"Mel treated you like a man," Jones said. "Professionally, he expected good things from us, but he did not ride players. He was always willing to help you, if you needed it. ... He was just an excellent teacher, an excellent manager."
The 1956 and 1957 Sports teams did not compete for playoff spots, although the '56 team featured the Texas League home-run record breaker, Ken Guettler, with 62 homers. After the '57 season, the Shreveport franchise folded and Mel moved to the Southern Association to manage Mobile, Ala., in 1958-59.
He managed minor-league championship teams in 1959 (Mobile) and 1960 (Toronto Maple Leafs, International League), then became a major-league coach (Cleveland Indians) in 1961.
His first major-league manager's job was with Cleveland in 1962; he was fired after a 78-82 record and sixth-place finish.
He moved on as a coach and off-season front-office aide with the Kansas City Athletics, and in the middle of the 1964 season, he was first sent to the front office by notorious team owner Charlie Finley and then quickly made the field manager of a last-place team. He was fired by Finley (no unique happening) after a 5-21 start in 1965.
His MLB managerial record: 123-173.
He then managed in the Houston Astros' system at Oklahoma City (Class AAA) in 1966 and '67, and in a Shreveport connection, became first-base coach for the 1968-69 Astros while fellow Shreveport resident and ex-Sports manager Salty Parker was the third-base coach.
A Louisiana native (born in Bastrop in 1926), McGaha grew up in Mabelvale, Ark. (Pulaski County), a town later annexed into Little Rock.
He did not play football in high school, but after starring in basketball and baseball, went out at University of Arkansas and made the team as an end. Solidly built at 6-foot-2, 198 pounds, he became a three-sport star for the Razorbacks from 1943 to 1948 (one year, 1945, he spent in military service).
He played for Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl at the end of the 1946 season -- the "blizzard" 0-0 tie with LSU -- and in the Dixie Bowl in 1947 when he ran back a pass interception 72 yards for a touchdown.
In 1970, he was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.
An outfielder-catcher in high school and outfielder-first baseman at Arkansas, he signed a pro ball contract with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1948. He also stayed with basketball and in the 1948-49 season played in the pros -- NBA -- appearing in 51 games as a reserve guard with the New York Knickerbockers (averaged 3.5 points a game).
In his first pro baseball season, he was with the Duluth Dukes (Northwest League) when the team bus collided head-on with a truck, Six team members were killed and McGaha was one of 13 injured. He recovered, but the injuries -- mostly a weakened shoulder -- limited his playing ability and he never made the majors as a player.
Still, he played 11 minor-league seasons and was a versatile performer -- outfielder, first baseman, sometimes shortstop and even a pitcher. He was a dependable, often clutch, pinch-hitter.He reached Class AAA with Columbus in 1949 and '50, then spent the bulk of his career in the Texas League (two games with Houston in '48, then full seasons with the Buffs in 1950-52 before five years with the Sports).
He was a .277 hitter in 903 regular-season minor-league games, with a best of .326 for the 1956 Sports. His Shreveport regular-season totals: 438 games, .274 average, 48 doubles, four triples, 32 home runs, 181 RBI.
At one point, he was a volunteer assistant coach with Arkansas basketball and at the start of his Shreveport career, he was head basketball coach for two seasons at Arkansas-Monticello (the Boll Weevils).
"Basketball was his first love," said son Fred -- who played baseball at Shreveport's Fair Park High and then at Louisiana Tech (where he was a conference batting champion), signed a pro contract (Cardinals' chain, 1972-73) and wound up briefly playing outfield for the '74 Shreveport Captains. He is a longtime attorney in Monroe, La.
After leaving pro ball after the 1969 season, Mel become director of SPAR (the Shreveport Parks and Recreation department) through the mid-1970s, then moved across the river to head the recreation department in Bossier City.
All the while, he remained involved in pro baseball -- with the Shreveport Braves and then the Shreveport Captains as an advisor to team officials and with public relations.
In helping then-Captains owner Ray Johnston in the early 1970s, he lobbied for a new stadium in the city. That did not materialize then, but McGaha remained connected to Shreveport's team.
"He was as supportive of me as anyone in town," said Taylor Moore, Captains' team president and operating partner for more than 20 years. "He was more helpful than most anyone knew.
"He loved the game and wanted it to be successful in Shreveport."
Fred McGaha, of course, was connected to baseball from his early days. "When we were kids," he recalled of him and his older sister, "he [Mel] was not home a lot of the year. But when school was out, we would go to where he was [managing or coaching].
"For a young kid like me, growing up in big-league locker rooms was a lot of fun. I got to know a lot of big-league players. I'd be out there shagging balls in the outfield and at times I'd be next to [Mickey] Mantle or [Roger] Maris. That was something to remember."
And Mel, the tough baseball man, was not a tough father.
"He was not overbearing, he was not overly strict," Fred recalled in 2002. "He let me make my own decisions. Some were good and some weren't. He let me know about the ones that weren't."
In the early 1980s, Mel -- remarried after his first wife Tina's death -- moved to Disney, Okla. He died Feb. 3, 2002, in Tulsa at age 75.
Sept. 14, 1955 -- The Shreveport Times
Kansas City Athletics manager, 1964-65
From Jim Pruett: Just great! I loved Mel McGaha from afar, and he never knew it. Loved that he cared, and I was always confident when he was batting at crunch time. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteFrom Skip Peel: Dad [Homer Peel] held Mel in high regard. Good biography. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteFrom Frank Bright: Thanks. Danny Walker’s parents were close friends of the McGahas, and Billy Muffett. I saw a lot of them. I lived on Claiborne and only had to cross a field to get to the Walkers' house on Hearne (an oil street then that stopped at Claiborne). The Walkers owned most of their block and had a laundroteria and a gas station there.
ReplyDeleteFrom Ike Futch: Great article on Mel. He and Rube Walker were by far the best managers I played for in my eight years of pro ball. When I was visiting with Fred in his office several years ago and asked about Mel, he picked up the phone and called him. Talked to him a long time and thankful I did. He passed away a few months later.
ReplyDeleteIn 1965 at Tulsa (Oilers), Billy Muffett was pitcher/pitching coach for us. He did a great job with our young pitchers. A lot of credit goes to him for having Larry Jaster and Dennis Aust being called up at the end of that season. Billy and I solved all of baseball's and the world's problems over several beers after road games. Got to visit him a lot when we moved to West Monroe.
From John Marshall: Very good job! Interesting life story.
ReplyDeleteIn one of those photos at bottom, it says, "the Macks."
Who was the artist on that cartoon-like panel at bottom? Guessing it was a local guy.
From Jimmy Russell: Enjoyed this. Remember him well as I was old enough to follow the Sports. Sorry you did not make a book out of all this, you certainly did a lot of research.
ReplyDeleteFrom Leo Van Thyn: I used to love to going to Toronto Maple Leafs games at Maple Leafs Stadium just after we arrived in Canada in 1957. We won the pennant in 1960 with McGaha. I was 14 at the time. There were some players on that team that went on to greater things. It was a really nice stadium -- great for baseball -- but it needed major repairs costing about $250,000. Instead of using the structure to build a new stadium, it was demolished in 1968. A few years later the Blue Jays played on a football field with a temporary fence.
ReplyDeleteFrom Gerry Robichaux: A super nice guy who helped the Bossier recreation effort grow.
ReplyDeleteFrom Tommy Canterbury: Man, I enjoyed that. Living in little Simsboro I couldn’t wait for the Times to catch up with the Sports. Lucky enough to go to few games and later play Legion ball on that field. I loved baseball and Mel’s name was a staple in the area.
ReplyDeleteAs a boy I kept up with area stars such as Ike Futch, Joe Adcock, Billy Bagwell, etc. Can’t remember if we had a Big Eight League team in Simsboro, but the league would play some games there. Saw Ralph Terry pitch there once as a kid -- what a thrill!
I was a huge Yankees fan. A few years ago, our company, SportsCare, had an office in Joplin, Mo., where Mantle played lots of minor-league games. We sponsored the wooden bat summer league in that old park; I could almost see Mick in CF!
From James Manasseh: One of my dad’s [Paul Manasseh] favorites.
ReplyDeleteFrom Chuck Herron: Great job. Brings back memories for me (just the mention of Bonneau Peters) and helps educate me on some of the times before I was old enough to really remember. I too, much like Fred) got the opportunity to "shag flies" with the pros (at SPAR Stadium) when my brother was working out with the Braves' AA club managed by Charlie Lau [in 1968]. Cito Gaston and (former Grambling star) Ralph (Gator) Garr were two of the future MLB stars who were on the Shreveport roster at that time. One of my best and oldest friends, Kenny Joyner's father, Ev Joyner, was a star on those old Shreveport Sports teams. Thanks for the memories.
ReplyDeleteFrom Stan Tiner: Another great one. Many memories of Mel, from my knothole gang days to covering Shreveport city hall.
ReplyDeleteFrom Bob Anderson: Haven't heard that name in a LOOONG time.
ReplyDeleteFrom Gene Land: Very good story, grew up with both children.
ReplyDeleteFrom Susan Z. Jackson: Loved growing up in these fine times of baseball. Dad, Irv Zeidman (IZ for 5D), made sports fun with his love for announcing games. Mel McGaha was a good friend of his. Love baseball to this day -- thank you, Dad, RIP. Thank you, Nico, for putting together Shreveport sports history.
ReplyDeleteFrom Robert B. Levy: I was at many of those games. My aunt would not miss one.
ReplyDelete