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Gene Oliver
Eugene George Oliver
Born: March 22, 1935 in Moline, IL
Died: March 3, 2007 in Rock Island, IL
Debut: 1959 | Pos: C
H: 6'2" | W: 225 | B: R | T: R
| Yr | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | SB | BA |
| 10 | 786 | 2216 | 268 | 546 | 93 | 329 | 24 | .246 |
>> Visit the Gene Oliver biography on Baseball Almanac for complete statistics.
Gene Oliver, a catcher who played in 786 major league games, died on March 3,
2007 in Rock Island, Illinois. According to reports, his death came as
complications of
lung surgery. He was 71.
He hit .246 in 2,216 major league at-bats. His career numbers included 93 home runs, 320 RBI and 24 stolen bases.
One of his most productive seasons came in 1965 with Milwaukee when he hit .270 with 21 home runs and 58 RBI.
He went to Northwestern University on a football scholarship. But he preferred
baseball and it led to a minor league contract with the Cardinals organization
in
1956.
He made his major league debut with the Cardinals in 1959. In 1963, he was traded to the Milwaukee Braves, along with Bob Sadowski, for Lew Burdette. In June 1967, the Braves traded him to the Phillies for Bob Uecker. In December 1967, he was traded to the Red Sox, along with Dick Ellsworth, for Mike Ryan. He completed his career with the Chicago Cubs.
Oliver returned to the Quad Cities area following his career. He worked part-time as a bailiff.
Oliver was inducted into the Quad Cities Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.