Vern Benson obit

Vernon Benson Obituary

 

He was not on the list.

GRANITE QUARRY, North Carolina - Mr. Vernon A. Benson, 89, of Granite Quarry, passed away Monday, Jan. 20, 2014, at The Laurels of Salisbury.

Born Sept. 19, 1924, in Rowan County, he was the son of the late Ruth Foster Benson and William Luther Benson. He was educated in Rowan County schools, graduated from Granite Quarry High School and attended Catawba College.

Mr. Benson was a professional baseball player, was signed to the Philadelphia Athletics in 1943, signed by the famous Connie Mack, owner and manager. His sports career was interrupted at a young age as Vernon courageously served with the U.S. Army in World War II under General Patton, receiving the EAME Service Medal with 1 Bronze Service Star. He then returned from military service to play with the St. Louis Cardinals and won a starting third base position in 1951. He also coached the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants; and served as a major league scout. He also played baseball in Cuba with Fidel Castro in the stands. Mr. Benson also managed winter league teams in Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic.

He was a member of the First United Church of Christ and Granite Quarry American Legion Post 448. He was inducted into Catawba College Hall of Fame in 1978 and the North Carolina American Legion Hall of Fame in 1979. He was Minor League Manager of the Year in 1979.

In addition to his parents, his wife, Rachel Lyerly Benson, who he married Oct. 23, 1946, preceded him in death on April 6, 2008; also his brother, William Benson; son-in-law Benny Callahan; and a grandson, Cody Randall Benson.

Those left to cherish his memory are his children, Randy Benson and wife Dale of Salisbury and their children, Shanna Hinson and husband Brian, Shea Overcash and husband Micah and Sharla Drury and husband Charlie; daughter Bonnie Shaw and husband Bill of Salisbury and their children, Chandler Shaw and wife Mary Buford and Haley Wishon and husband Jarrett; daughter Robin Callahan of Concord and her children, Denver and Caylan Callahan; great-grandchildren Elinor, Elsie, Benson, Beckett, Gil, Adair and Chandler; special brother-in-law Thomas Joe Lyerly, with whom he resided; brother-in-law James E. Lyerly; and many nieces and nephews.

Arrangements: The family will receive friends from 10-11 a.m. Thursday (Jan. 23) in the First United Church of Christ Fellowship Hall with service to follow at 11 a.m. in the sanctuary with Rev. Carol Hallman officiating. Interment will follow at Rowan Memorial Park.

Benson attended Catawba College in nearby Salisbury. He debuted in the Majors with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1943 and had a second trial with the Mackmen in 1946, but most of his career would be spent in the organization of the St. Louis Cardinals. While he appeared in only 46 games for St. Louis between 1951 and 1953, he was a fixture with the Cards' Rochester Red Wings and Columbus Red Birds Triple-A farm clubs as a player. Overall, Benson batted .202 in 104 MLB at bats over five seasons, with three home runs and 12 runs batted in. In his finest minor league season, 1951 at Columbus, he batted .308 with 18 home runs and 89 RBI.

He became a manager in the Redbird system in 1956 with the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the Class C Northern League. On July 6, 1961, he was promoted from manager of the Triple-A Portland Beavers to the Cardinals to serve as a Major League coach under new skipper Johnny Keane.

Benson worked with Keane through the Cards' 1964 World Championship, then moved to the New York Yankees when Keane switched to the Bombers (his 1964 World Series opponent) in 1965. But the Yankees were in a downward spiral at the time, finishing sixth in the '65 American League race. Then they won only four of their first 20 games in 1966, resulting in Keane's firing and Benson's resignation on May 7.

Two months later, on July 13, 1966, Benson returned to the National League as a coach for fellow North Carolinian Dave Bristol, newly appointed pilot of the Cincinnati Reds. He spent the remainder of his MLB career in the Senior Circuit, as a coach for the Reds (through 1969), the Cardinals again (1970–1975), Atlanta Braves (1976–77), and San Francisco Giants (1980), working in the latter two posts under Bristol once again. He managed the Syracuse Chiefs, Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, in 1978–79. He won three playoff championships in the minor leagues, in: the Northern League (with Winnipeg) in 1957; the Texas League (with Tulsa Drillers) in 1960; and the International League (with Syracuse) in 1979. After his on-field career ended, Benson returned to the Cardinals as a scout.

He also managed the Braves for one game in 1977 under unusual circumstances. After the club lost 21 of its first 29 games, Dave Bristol was sent on a "scouting trip" on May 10 and replaced by the team's owner, Ted Turner, a world-class yachtsman and television executive who had no baseball experience. After Turner lost his only game as the team's skipper on the 11th, National League president Chub Feeney told Turner that managers cannot own financial interest in a club. When Turner's appeal to Commissioner Bowie Kuhn was turned down, Benson stepped in for one game—which he won, 6–1 over the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 12—before Bristol was rehired for the remainder of the season.

 

Teams

As player

Philadelphia Athletics (1943, 1946)

St. Louis Cardinals (1951–1953)

As manager

 

Atlanta Braves (1977)

As coach

 

St. Louis Cardinals (1961–1964)

New York Yankees (1965–1966)

Cincinnati Reds (1966–1969)

St. Louis Cardinals (1970–1975)

Atlanta Braves (1976–1977)

San Francisco Giants (1980)

Career highlights and awards

World Series champion (1964)