Willie Murphy
From BR Bullpen
William H. Murphy (Gentle Willie)
- Bats Left, Throws Unknown
- Height 5' 11", Weight 198 lb.
[edit] Biographical Information
Gentle Willie Murphy played in the majors in 1884, not for the Union Association but for the other two leagues, the 1884 National League and the 1884 American Association. He mostly played left field.
Gentle Willie was from Massachusetts and his minor league career was mostly with teams in the Northeast.
Sporting Life on June 29, 1887 reported that Murphy had been released by Bridgeport, but that shortly thereafter Minneapolis asked to pay a small amount if Murphy would be released to them. Bridgeport then re-signed Murphy and released him to Minneapolis. However, the Sporting Life noted, Murphy was playing with the Renfrew Club in North Adams, MA and didn't immediately go to Minneapolis.
The March 19, 1898 issue of the Sporting Life expressed skepticism about a report that Gentle Willie Murphy had struck it rich in the South African gold fields, getting at least $50,000. The magazine felt it was probably another Murphy.
Through 2008, the only other major leaguer with a nickname "Gentle" has been Pud Galvin, one of whose nicknames was "Gentle Jeems".
Willie Crawford's full name is Willie Murphy Crawford.
