Johnny McKee

John R. McKee (December 6, 1914 – May 12, 2013)[1] was an American college baseball player and Major League Baseball coach. He spent one season, 1947, as the bullpen coach of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

McKee was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1] According to the Society for American Baseball Research, he was a catcher for nearby Villanova University.[2] No professional playing record is listed for him in Baseball Reference. During World War II, he was a pilot and lieutenant colonel in the United States Army Air Forces.[3]

McKee served on the coaching staff of Pittsburgh manager Billy Herman in 1947. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette[4] and the United Press,[5] McKee and fellow coach Zack Taylor were released on October 23, 1947, after Billy Meyer succeeded Herman as the Pirates' skipper; those accounts referred to McKee as the club's "bullpen catcher."

McKee died in Vineland, New Jersey, at the age of 98.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c [1] Retrosheet
  2. ^ SABR
  3. ^ "Catcher Now Coach" (PDF). The Associated Press. May 1, 1947. Retrieved 2015-08-27.
  4. ^ "Bucs Release Taylor, McKee". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. October 23, 1947. Retrieved 2015-08-27.
  5. ^ "Rip Sewell Signs as Pirate Coach". San Jose Evening News. October 23, 1947. Retrieved 2015-08-27.