Weldon Bowlin

Hoss Bowlin’s major-league career amounted to just two games and five at-bats with the 1967 Kansas City Athletics, but his coaching record showed 311 wins in 14 years (1972-1986) while directing the Livingston University (now University of West Alabama) baseball program. Prior to his collegiate coaching, he was a minor-league infielder for 13 seasons – the last one, 1971, as a player-manager in the Class A Midwest League. That season, with the Wisconsin Rapids Twins, he mentored six future big leaguers: Glenn Borgmann, Bill Campbell, Dave McKay, Bob Gorinski, Jim Hughes, and Mike Poepping.

Lois Weldon “Hoss” Bowlin was born in Stanford, Arkansas, on December 10, 1940.1 “My mother had her heart set on a girl. She already had the name picked out and she wouldn’t change it,” he explained. “She finally got the girl she wanted – but not till after her fifth boy.”2 He was Lloyd and Drucilla (Welch) Bowlin’s fourth son.3 According to the 1940 census, his father was a farmer.4

As a youngster, Bowlin pretended he was Marty Marion, the player he idolized on his favorite team, the St. Louis Cardinals. When he was tired of swinging his bat, he would lie down in the tall grass and stare up at the sky. He spent those moments watching planes passing overhead and dreaming about the day he would be riding one of those planes all the way to the big leagues.5

Hoss earned his nickname not from his size, but rather his inclination to race the family horses. At Stanford High School, he was an All-State baseball and basketball player for three years. He also played four years of American Legion baseball for teams based in Paragould and Corning.6 In the spring of his senior year, Bowlin attended a professional tryout. He was the fastest player who participated that day, and his skills impressed the scouts. But his size discouraged most major-league teams (he was listed at 5-foot-9, 155 pounds in the professional ranks).

Bowlin enrolled at Arkansas State University following his 1958 high school graduation and played semipro ball for the Lafe Orioles.7 The St. Louis Cardinals (and scout Buddy Lewis) took a chance, as they offered the 18-year-old a $2,000 bonus and a trip to spring training.8

In 1959, Bowlin began his professional career with the Hobbs (New Mexico) Cardinals in the Class D Sophomore League. In the second game of the season, he hit his first and only home run, but Hobbs lost to Plainview, 19-7.9

Bowlin started at shortstop for the North in the All-Star Game in early July. He went hitless in two trips to the plate and committed four errors in an 11-2 loss.10 Overall, his slash line – a phrase unknown at the time – was a solid .281/.366/.352 in 123 games, and he placed among the league’s top 10 with 104 runs scored and 142 hits. His rookie season ended when Hobbs was swept in the playoffs by Alpine, two games to none.

Hoss started the 1960 season with another Class D squad, the Dothan (Alabama) Cardinals in the Alabama-Florida League. As the team finished their preseason drills, he impressed the coaching staff. Per the Dothan Eagle, “Highlights of the drills was the classy infield work turned in by a touted keystone combination of shortstop Phil Gagliano and second sacker Weldon Bowlin. Little (5-9) Bowlin had a brilliant spring. He didn’t make an error all the time the Cards were in Homestead and wasn’t thrown out in his base-stealing performances.”11

Hoss’ older brother Jimmy (23) joined the team in early June on what was termed a “fill-in basis.” After Jimmy batted only .133 (2-for-15), he re-entered school in Arkansas.12

A few days later, Gagliano and Bowlin were named to the All-Star team.13 In the contest, played July 11, Bowlin had two hits and scored twice, while Gagliano added a single in an 8-7 victory over Panama City.14

Bowlin later earned year-end All-Star recognition for the second successive season as the unanimous choice at second base by the league’s sportswriters.15 He finished the year with a promotion to the Class AA Southern Association. In two appearances for the Memphis Chickasaws, he went 1-for-5. Between the two teams, Bowlin batted .280 with six homers, 33 doubles, and 15 steals.

The next year, 1961, was a whirlwind for Bowlin, as he played for three different teams during the season, and in both the Cardinals and the Kansas City Athletics organizations.

He went to spring training with the Tulsa Oilers of the Class AA Texas League. But Bowlin’s season started on a sour note, as he suffered a shoulder separation in the second inning, trying to break up a double play at second base.16 He was expected to be idled for six weeks.17

In late April, it was announced that Bowlin would be sent down to the Class A Eastern League. He made his season debut with the Lancaster (Pennsylvania) Red Roses on May 8, getting a single in five trips to the plate in a 7-5 loss to Johnstown. The scrappy second sacker also participated in a double play.18

After just six games, Bowlin was released.19 His contract was sold to the Portsmouth-Norfolk Tides, the Kansas City Athletics’ entry in the Class A South Atlantic League.20 But the injury bug struck again, as the hustling Bowlin sprained his ankle sliding into third base in a win over Asheville on May 31.21 A week later, he was assigned to the Billings Mustangs, the Cardinals’ Class C Pioneer League affiliate.22

(The author could not find any information on why Bowlin was sent back to the Cardinals’ organization.)

In his first game with his new team, Hoss homered and added a pair of two-base hits The leadoff hitter proved that he was champing at the bit to get back into action by reaching base 15 times in his first 19 plate appearances, including eight walks.23

After batting at the top of the lineup most of the season, Bowlin finished July in a 0-for-16 skid. Manager Owen Friend must have played a hunch or thought that Bowlin was trying too hard, because the skipper dropped him to the No. 8 spot in August. The move worked. In 22 games that month, Bowlin batted .346 (28-for-81), with three doubles and a triple. Overall with the Mustangs, he hit .262 in 81 games.

Bowlin began his fourth year of pro ball in 1962 and was assigned to Billings once again, and he had arguably the best season of his career. He achieved personal bests with his .287 batting average, 10 homers, and 68 RBIs. His nine triples ranked second in the circuit, and he tied for the No. 2 spot with 118 runs scored. Bowlin was named a second-team All-Star.24 The Mustangs took the second-half title, as they finished 14 games ahead of Boise with a 48-20 record. Billings swept the best-of-three playoffs between the two teams to win the 1962 Pioneer League title.25

After Thanksgiving, it was announced that Bowlin was drafted by the Lewiston (Idaho) Broncs, the Class A Northwest League club in the Kansas City Athletics’ organization.26

When the first half of the 1963 season ended July 1, Lewiston (41-28) held a slender one-game lead over Yakima, thus giving them the first-half championship and qualifying them for the postseason playoffs.27 Bowlin’s average at the break was a solid .284, and he led the league with 24 doubles, 50 walks, and 64 runs scored.28

The Broncs (36-35) finished the second half in third place, eight games behind Yakima.29 In the Northwest Leagues playoffs, first-half winner Lewiston fell three games to one to second-half winner Yakima.30 For the season, Bowlin led the league with 102 runs scored, 38 doubles, and 80 walks.31

After taking a month off, he joined the Kansas City Athletics’ Florida Winter Instructional League team.32 The club finished second with a record of 31-19, four and one-half games behind the Tigers. In the final contest, Bill Freehan managed the Tigers, while Bowlin ran the Athletics. The seven-inning game was played in a brisk 73 minutes before 247 fans, the season’s largest crowd. Detroit won, 3-0. and Bowlin went 0-for-2.33 Although Bowlin batted just .236 overall, he led the team with 10 doubles and six triples, and finished second in hits, total bases, RBIs, runs, and stolen bases.34

In December 1963, Bowlin was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Doctors removed a testicle, a malignant tumor, and all lymph nodes from his waist to his sternum.35

A weakened Bowlin – he had lost 30 pounds 36– played for the Class AA Southern League’s Birmingham Barons in 1964, a year chronicled by Larry Colton in his book Southern League: A True Story of Baseball, Civil Rights, and the Deep South’s Most Compelling Pennant Race. The book portrayed integrated baseball in a turbulent time in this country, especially in the Deep South city of Birmingham. The Barons finished second, and Bowlin had his worst season to that point, batting .242 in 136 games.

The following year, Bowlin started in the Class AAA Pacific Coast League with the Vancouver Mounties. He batted only .174 in 31 games, earning a demotion37 to Birmingham. He fared better there, hitting .271 in 79 games.

In 1966, the Barons became the Mobile (Alabama) Athletics, and Bowlin spent his third straight year in Double-A ball. He struggled, batting only .232. Kansas City A’s owner Charlie Finley moved the team back to Birmingham for the 1967 season, when Bowlin served as a utilityman and a coach for the club.38

The major-league A’s brought Bowlin up in mid-September. On September 16, 1967, at Anaheim Stadium, he started at third base and batted second in the lineup against the Angels. In his second at-bat, Hoss banged a fourth-inning single off Jack Hamilton. He finished 1-for-3. Starting at third base again the following day, Bowlin went 0-for-2, thus marking the end of his big-league career.

In early 1968, University of Alabama football coach-athletic director Bear Bryant was looking for a graduate assistant to help his baseball coach, former major-league great Joe Sewell. Bowlin had no college degree that qualified him to be a graduate assistant, but Bryant could handle that kind of small obstacle. He arranged for Bowlin, wife Madelyn (Mack), and son Parrish to live in married-student housing and take meals in the athletes’ cafeteria. Bryant also lined up a full-time teaching position for Madelyn at a local junior high.39

Alabama won the Southeastern Conference baseball title in 1968, and Bowlin eventually finished his degree at the school three years later.40

Bowlin also continued his professional playing career, as he appeared in 102 games for Birmingham in 1968. He returned to coaching at Alabama in the spring of 1969. In late May, the Minnesota Twins purchased his contract from the A’s and assigned him to the Charlotte (North Carolina) Hornets, also in the Southern League.41 He had a rebound season, hitting .276 with 10 steals in 93 games.

The next year, 1970, was much the same for Bowlin: coaching in college ball, then playing in the Class AAA American Association for the Evansville (Indiana) Triplets. He hit .266 in 87 games. Bowlin and two other players co-managed the Trips for nine games while manager Ralph Rowe was attending to his seriously ill mother. Hall of Famer Early Wynn became the interim manager July 16.42

Bowlin used that brief experience as a springboard, as he was named manager of the Class A Midwest League’s Wisconsin Rapids Twins for 1971 as the successor to Johnny Goryl.43 The 30-year-old Bowlin also played all four infield positions and even pitched in one game. After the season, Bowlin retired from professional baseball.44 In the summer of 1972, Bowlin became the head baseball coach at Livingston University in Livingston, Alabama.45

Bowlin coached for 14 years at Livingston, where he compiled a record of 311-327-2. His Tigers won Gulf Coast South Conference Eastern Division titles in 1978 and 1979, and appeared in the 1976 Division II College World Series. In 2002, Hoss was inducted into the University of West Alabama Hall of Fame (Livingston University became the University of West Alabama in 1995).46

In the mid-1980s, Bowlin bought a local restaurant in Livingston and managed it for a few years. “I have many fun memories of hanging around that place with him,” said Bowlin’s son Lance. “But he quickly learned that he missed being around baseball and sports in general, so he decided to sell the restaurant and take a job as the athletic director, head baseball coach and basketball coach at Sumter Academy.”47

Bowlin later became Director of Parks in Livingston. “He continued to be a major part of all athletics in what he considered his home, Livingston, Alabama,” Lance noted.48

In 2017, the University of West Alabama installed its first big-screen scoreboard at Tartt Field and named it the “Weldon “Hoss” Bowlin Scoreboard.” “I remember Dad being so proud of that,” said Lance.49

Hoss Bowlin passed away on December 8, 2019, at the age of 78. He was survived by his second wife, Evie; and sons Parrish and Lance, from his first marriage to Madelyn, which ended in divorce. Bowlin is buried at Cokes Chapel Cemetery in Ward, Alabama.

Acknowledgments

This biography was reviewed by Malcolm Allen and Mike Eisenbath and fact-checked by Brian P. Wood.

Sources

In addition to sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted www.ancestry.com, www.baseball-reference.com, and https://sabr.org/bioproject.

Notes

1 Hoss Bowlin Obituary, December 9, 2019, https://www.bumpersfuneralhome.com/obituary/hoss-bowlin, Accessed February 5, 2023

2 Sam Gazdziak, “Obituary: Weldon ‘Hoss’ Bowlin (1940-2019),” RIPBaseball.com, December 21, 2019, https://ripbaseball.com/2019/12/21/obituary-weldon-bowlin-1940-2019/ Accessed January 7, 2023.

3 Email exchange with son Lance Bowlin. February 9, 2023.

4 Ancestry.com

5 Larry Colton, Southern League: A True Story of Baseball, Civil Rights, and the Deep South’s Most Compelling Pennant Race, (New York, New York: Grand Central Publishing, 1994), 32.

6 Weldon Bowlin, Publicity questionnaire for William J. Weiss, January 9, 1963.

7 Weldon Bowlin, Publicity questionnaire for William J. Weiss, March 9, 1959.

8 Jim Yeager, “OnlyInArk.com, September 29, 2021. https://onlyinark.com/baseball-hall-of-famer-lois-weldon-hoss-bowlin/. Accessed January 7, 2023.

9 “Elsewhere in the League,” Carlsbad (New Mexico) Current-Argus, April 29, 1959: 12.

10 Jerry Dorbin, “South Clips North in All-Star Game,” Carlsbad Current-Argus, July 8, 1959: 12.

11 “Dothan, Fliers Open AFL Here Tonight,” Dothan (Alabama) Eagle, April 25, 1960: 6.

12 “Fliers Kalmes One-Hits Cards, Fans 16, Wins 2-1,” Dothan Eagle, June 5, 1960: 23.

13 “Ft. Walton Rules ‘Stars, 2 Cards on,” Dothan Eagle, July 7, 1960: 26.

14 Doug Bradford and Lamar Benton, “AFL All-Stars Rip Feared Flier Pitching Staff For 8-7 Victory,” Dothan Eagle, July 12, 1960: 8.

15 “Bowlin AFL All-Star by Unanimous Choice,” Dothan Eagle, August 18, 1960: 24.

16 “Portland Hands 5-4 Loss to Tulsa With Late Rallies,” Tulsa (Oklahoma) Daily World, March 22, 1961: 26.

17 “Beauchamp Has Five Hits, Leads Marlins By Tulsa,” Tulsa Daily World, March 24, 1961: 38.

18 “Roses Win Opener, 5-4; Bow to Sox in Nightcap,” Intelligencer Journal (Lancaster, Pennsylvania), May 9, 1961: 19.

19 “Roses at 19-Man Player Limit,” Intelligencer Journal, May 22, 1961: 15.

20 Abe Goldblatt, “Owner to Attend Contest,” Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), May 22, 1961: 22.

21 “Two Runs in 11th Against Tourists End 12-Game Streak,” Virginian-Pilot, June 1, 1961: 53.

22 “Second Baseman to Join Mustangs,” Billings (Montana) Gazette, June 9, 1961: 25.

23 Don Zupan, “From A to Z: Hoss Bowlin Fills the Bill,” Billings Gazette, June 18, 1961: 17.

24 “Pioneer League All-Stars Named,” Billings Gazette, August 27, 1962: 11.

25 “Billings Sweep Series with Boise,” Billings Gazette, September 10, 1962: 9.

26 “Three Former Mustangs Figure in Player Draft,” Billings Gazette, November 27, 1962: 11.

27 “Northwest League Standings,” Tri-City Herald (Kennewick, Washington), July 2, 1963: 16.

28 “Mann Tops NW Circuit Hit Parade,” Statesman Journal (Salem, Oregon), July 13, 1963: 12.

29 “Northwest League Final 2nd Half Standings,” Statesman Journal, September 3, 1963: 21.

30 “Yaks Claim NWL Title,” Statesman Journal, September 7, 1963: 9.

31 “ERA Title to Barber of Salem,” Statesman Journal, September 7, 1963: 10.

32 “A’s Open 3-Game Home Stand Here,” Bradenton (Florida) Herald, October 23, 1963: 14.

33 Kent Chetlain, “247 See A’s Wind Up Season Here Losing,” Bradenton Herald, December 6, 1963: 11.

34 “Campaneris, Norman Lead Kansas City,” Bradenton Herald, December 8, 1963: 30.

35 Colton, Southern League: A True Story of Baseball, Civil Rights, and the Deep South’s Most Compelling Pennant Race: 14.

36 Colton, Southern League: A True Story of Baseball, Civil Rights, and the Deep South’s Most Compelling Pennant Race: 16.

37 Bob Phillips, “Lookouts Here For Four Days,” Birmingham (Alabama) Post-Herald, June 7, 1965: 8.

38 Cecil Darby, “Tony a Surprise,” Columbus (Georgia) Ledger, March 28, 1967: 13.

39 Colton, Southern League: A True Story of Baseball, Civil Rights, and the Deep South’s Most Compelling Pennant Race: 298.

40 Yeager, “OnlyInArk.com.”

41 Kirk McNair, “Tenace Called Up,” Birmingham Post-Herald, May 28, 1969: 13.

42 Tom Tuley, “Trips Name Wynn Interim Manager,” Evansville (Indiana) Press, July 16, 1970: 28.

43 Don Friday, “A Day on Sports,” Stevens Point (Wisconsin) Journal, April 7, 1971: 13.

44 “Ward Will Be Rapids Twins’ New Manager,” Daily Tribune (Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin), February 2, 1972: 6.

45 “Hoss Bowlin to Command LU Baseball,” Montgomery (Alabama) Advertiser, August 27, 1972: 56.

46 Gazdziak, “Obituary: Weldon ‘Hoss’ Bowlin (1940-2019).”

47 Email with Lance Bowlin, January 22, 2023.

48 Email with Lance Bowlin, January 22, 2023.

49 Email with Lance Bowlin, January 22, 2023.