William Ashley (Bill) Freehan

William Ashley (Bill) Freehan

University of Michigan Baseball, Football Player (1959 - 1961)
Detroit Tigers Player (1961, 1963 - 1976)
University of Michigan Baseball Manager (1990 – 1995)

Bill Freehan was born in Detroit, Michigan, growing up in Royal Oak and moving to Florida with his family before High School. He attended the University of Michigan playing both football and baseball. During his sophomore season in 1961, Freehan batted an incredible .585 setting a Big Ten record that still stands. Freehan signed a free agent contract with the Tigers in 1961 while he was still at the University of Michigan. He played four games with the Tigers at the end of the 1961 seasons before being sent to the minor leagues in 1962, he was back up with the Tigers for good in the 1963 season. His entire 15-year major league career was spent with the Tigers and was known as the premier catcher in the American throughout the 60's into the early 70’s. Freehan’s prowess comes from combining great defensive skills, a powerful bat along with the ability to control a pitching staff. He was a key member of the 1968 World Champion Tigers. He played in 1774 games with a .262 batting average along with 200 home runs and 758 runs batted in to go with five gold gloves and 11 All-Star appearances. After his playing days were over, he returned to his alma mater to lead the Wolverine baseball team from 1990 to 1995. Bill Freehan was inducted into the inaugural University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor ceremony in 1978 and was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1982. He passed away on August 19, 2021 at 79 years of age.