Frank Skaff

Francis Michael Skaff

[edit] Biographical Information

Frank Skaff was a major league ballplayer and manager. As a ballplayer, he came from Villanova University, where he had been at the same time as Art Mahan, Ben Geraghty, Nick Etten, and Swede Larsen. Leaving Villanova in 1935, he made the majors with the 1935 Brooklyn Dodgers in September 1935, hitting .545 in 11 at-bats.

He did not come back to the majors until 1943 at age 32, when he hit .281 in 64 at-bats for the 1943 Philadelphia Athletics.

He began his managing career as the third manager of the year for the 1946 Montgomery Rebels. He stayed through 1948, winning two league titles. In 1949 Skaff joined the Philadelphia A's organization, managing the Savannah Indians. He moved to the Buffalo Bisons in 1950, Lincoln Athletics in 1951, and the Ottawa Athletics in 1952-1953. In 1954 Skaff coached for the Baltimore Orioles. In 1955 he joined the Detroit Tigers organization, where he would stay for many years. He managed the Durham Bulls in 1955, the Augusta Tigers and the Charleston Senators in 1956, Charleston in 1957, Durham in 1959, Knoxville Smokies in 1960, Birmingham Barons in 1961, and the Denver Bears in 1962. In 1963, Skaff took over Knoxville for part of the year. He became a Tiger coach in 1965 and the following year, he replaced manager Bob Swift, who was ill, and went 40-39 at the helm. Skaff also was a member of the Tigers staff in 1971.