Did You Know: Williamsburg’s own Win Ballou made history by appearing in the1925 World Series with the Washington Senators

Last Thursday afternoon I had a very interesting, and very enjoyable, conversation with former Cumberland College baseball player and coach Terry Stigall. This was the first time we had met, and it didn’t take him long to leave a lasting impression on me. For starters, his office down at the University of the Cumberlands, where he is still employed as a health instructor, is truly something to behold.

Coach Stigall’s business card lists his name, title, contact information and it also includes the accolade “World’s #1 Red Sox Fan.” It’s absolutely true. Before you even enter his office you will notice that the walls on either side of his doorway are adorned with pictures and memorabilia. Much of it is from his time coaching baseball at the college/university, but there are also many items dedicated to the BoSox.

It’s impressive just seeing what the outside of Stigall’s office looks like, but then you step inside and… wow. The walls, floor and ceiling are literally covered with photos, autographs, newspaper clippings, drawings, banners, etc. Again, much of it pertains to his coaching days in Williamsburg, but the vast majority is all about the Boston Red Sox.

Then there is the massive collection of bobble heads, baseballs, commemorative plaques, caps and other items that take up pretty much all of the desk and shelf space. Let me tell you, this guy has a miniature museum that he could probably charge admission to if he were so inclined.

Of course, Coach Stigall and I talked about his massive collection of Red Sox treasures, as well as several other topics, but the real reason I met with him was so that he could give me information on Noble Winfred “Win” Ballou – a Williamsburg native who played baseball at Eastern Kentucky University, and later played as a member of the 1925 American League champion Washington Senators.

Ballou (a well-known name in Williamsburg to this day) and the Senators won a total of 96 games in 1925, including their second AL pennant. They gained a 3-1 advantage in that year’s World Series, but would eventually lose to the National League champion Pittsburgh Pirates. As for Ballou’s involvement in the Series, he actually pitched in two games, striking out one batter and walking another. He was 27-years-old.

Win also played for the St. Louis Browns and the Brooklyn Robins during his four seasons as a pro, and he played for several minor league teams before finally retiring in the mid-1940’s. Some historical documents estimate he probably earned around $3,000-$4,000 per season as a professional baseball player at that time.

Through my recent conversations with some of the Ballous that are still living in Williamsburg today, I found out that Win returned home several times to visit his friends and family in Kentucky, but he never left the west coast after traveling there to play baseball in the late twenties-early thirties. He passed away in January of 1963 at the age of 65, and is buried at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Daly City, CA.

In doing research for this report, I was also pointed to an online article that helped shed some light on Ballou’s post-college, pre-major league days. The article, which can be found on the blog baseballcontinuum.com, recounts an occasion in 1920 when the Chattanooga Lookouts minor league team came to Middlesboro to play an exhibition game against “the local nine.” Among those “local nine” was none other than Win Ballou, who surprised the Lookouts with his incredible talent on the pitching mound.

The article offers a fascinating glimpse into the life of a promising young ball player in those days, traveling around from town to town and competing for various small clubs and teams until one day the right person saw you and decided to give you a chance to do something more.

Ballou got his chance to do something more not long after, and he certainly made the most of it. In fact, he made it all the way to the White House, getting to pose alongside his fellow Washington Senators for a photo with United States President Calvin Coolidge in September of 1925. Not bad for a kid from southeast Kentucky just looking to play a little baseball. Not bad at all.

Special thanks to everyone who offered their assistance with this report, especially Coach Terry Stigall.