Willard Wayne Terwilliger (June 27, 1925 – February 3, 2021), nicknamed "Twig", was an American professional baseball second baseman. He played nine seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1949 and 1960 for the Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers, Washington Senators, New York Giants, and Kansas City Athletics.

Early life

Terwilliger grew up in Michigan. He joined the Marines in 1943 following his 18th birthday and served as a radioman on an amphibious tank in the Pacific Theater of World War II.

While overseas, Terwilliger served in Tinian and Iwo Jima, and had his tank destroyed at Saipan.

Terwilliger was discharged in late 1945 and attended Western Michigan College, where he quickly became a star shortstop. As early as 1946, he was attracting attention from major league scouts, and St. Louis Browns' scout Jack Fournier was particularly keen to sign him. However, after getting off to a poor start to the 1951 season, Terwilliger was included in a trade that sent outfielder Andy Pafko, pitcher Johnny Schmitz, and catcher Rube Walker to the Brooklyn Dodgers for catcher Bruce Edwards, pitcher Joe Hatten, outfielder Gene Hermanski and infielder Eddie Miksis.

After spending the 1952 season with the AAA St. Paul Saints, Terwilliger was claimed off waivers by the Washington Senators following the 1952 season and spent the next two seasons as the Senators' second baseman. After taking the 1962 season off, Terwilliger would be hired by the Washington Senators to manage their single-A team, the Wisconsin Rapids Senators in the Midwest League. He would spend the following six seasons managing in the Senators organization, the last two at AAA.

Under manager Ted Williams, Terwilliger was the third-base coach of the Senators from 1969 to 1971 and of the Texas Rangers in their first season, 1972. and Texas' single-A Lynchburg Rangers in 1975 before spending the next four seasons managing the single-A Asheville Tourists. In 1980, he was hired as the manager of Texas' AA Tulsa Drillers.

Terwilliger returned as a major league coach after being hired to Don Zimmer's 1981 Rangers staff and would stay with the team for four years.

Staying in Minnesota, Terwilliger returned to the St. Paul Saints in 1995, this time as the first-base coach of the team in the independent Northern League. He would remain with the team until 2002.

Throughout his career, Terwilliger managed 12 minor-league teams and compiled a record of 1,224 wins and 1,089 losses. In 2006, Terwilliger's autobiography, Terwilliger Bunts One, which drew its title from Annie Dillard's essay on how her mother turned that phrase into a mantra, was released.

Personal life

Terwilliger married twice. He first married Mary Jane Locke with whom he had a son, Steve, and a daughter, Marcie. His second wife's name was Linda.

Terwilliger died in Weatherford, Texas, on February 3, 2021, at the age of 95. He had been getting treatment for bladder cancer, but the cause of death was not given.

References

  • Wayne Terwilliger at Baseball Almanac
  • Wayne Terwilliger's Home Page

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