Bill Freehan: Detroit Tigers All-Star Catcher and 1968 World Series Cham

Bill Freehan was an American baseball catcher who spent his entire 15-year career with the Detroit Tigers and was one of the best catchers of the 1960s and 1970s. Born William Ashley Freehan on November 29, 1941, in Detroit, he played both baseball and football at the University of Michigan.

Freehan was an 11-time All-Star, won five straight Gold Glove Awards from 1965 to 1969, and was a key member of the 1968 World Series champion Tigers, finishing second in the MVP voting that season. He held the major league record for career fielding percentage by a catcher until 2002 and finished with 200 home runs.

Freehan and pitcher Mickey Lolich started 324 games together as a battery, a record that stood until 2022. He married Patricia O'Brien in 1963, and they had three children. He died in Michigan on August 19, 2021, at age 79, of Alzheimer's disease. Remembered for his toughness behind the plate, he was a Tigers legend.

Achievements: 11-time All-Star (1964-1973, 1975), five-time Gold Glove winner (1965-1969), 1968 World Series champion with the Tigers, held the career fielding percentage record for catchers until 2002.

Birth: November 29, 1941 - Detroit, Michigan.

Profession: Baseball catcher.

Interesting Facts: He set a Big Ten batting record of .585 at the University of Michigan in 1961. He and Mickey Lolich formed one of baseball's most durable batteries.