Maury Wills was an American professional baseball player as well as a manager. During his playing career, he stole bases at an unprecedented rate, setting records that still stand today.
Wills was a standout athlete at Cardozo High School in Washington, District of Columbia, excelling in both football and baseball.
In 1950, he was offered a contract by the National League (NL) Brooklyn Dodgers, who would go on to become the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He threw right-handed and batted both right and left-handed. Before being promoted to the major league club in 1959, he spent the 1951–1959 seasons playing second base for their minor league clubs.
In 1959, he was given the opportunity to play shortstop for the major league club. He finished the year with a batting average of .299 and set a record for the major leagues by stealing 104 bases, which helped him win the National League Most Valuable Player Award.
Maury Wills Net Worth
Maury Wills’s had an estimated net worth of $15 Million at the time of his death. One of baseball’s all-time great base stealers, Wills finished his career with 586 steals, good for 20th place.
Maury Wills Records
The National League expanded the number of games played per team that year from 154 to 162, while Wills shattered Cobb’s single-season stolen base record.
Commissioner Ford Frick determined that Wills’ 104-steal season and Cobb’s 96-steal season of 1915 were different records since Wills’ 97th stolen base happened after his club had played its 154th game, just as he did the year before.
Batting average .281
Hits 2,134
Home runs 20
Runs batted in 458
Stolen bases 586
Managerial record 26–56
Winning % .317
Maury Wills Hall of Fame
Wills made his first appearance as a candidate on the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Golden Era Committee election ballot in 2014 for potential consideration for induction into the Hall of Fame in 2015, which required twelve votes.
Wills was three votes short of being elected. Every other contender on the ballot also came up short of winning.
In the period between 1947 and 1972, the Committee met and decided on ten nominees every three years.
He appeared on the Golden Days Era ballot once again in 2022, but he did not obtain enough votes to be inducted.
Maury Wills Awards
7× All-Star (1961–1963, 1965, 1966)
3× World Series champion (1959, 1963, 1965)
NL MVP (1962)
2× Gold Glove Award (1961, 1962)
6× NL stolen base leader (1960–1965)
Hickok Belt Award (1962)
The Baseball Reliquary’s Shrine of the Eternals (class of 2011).
“Legends of Dodger Baseball” (2022)
Maury Wills Height
Maury Wills stood at a height of 1.8 m
Maury Wills Cause of Death
Maury Wills cause of death has not been disclosed at this time.
Maury Wills Wife
Before his death, Maury Wills was married. The marriage between Maury Wills and Carla lasted for a good number of years.
Maury Wills Children
Maury and Carla Wills had six children. Their names are Barry, Micki, Bump, Anita, Susan Quam, and Wendi Jo Wills.
Maury Wills Age
Maury Wills was born on September 19, 2022. He was 89 years old at the time of his death
