Daily Oklahoman, The
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
March 25, 2007, page 27A

Willard Raymond Schmidt, 78, of Newcastle, Oklahoma, died March 22, 2007, surrounded by his family. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 28, 2007 at St. Joseph's Church, Norman, Oklahoma.

Interment will follow at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Elk City, Oklahoma. Services are under the direction of Havenbrook Funeral Home of Norman, Oklahoma. Mr. Schmidt was born May 29, 1928 in Hays, Kansas, to Raymond and Dorothy (Leikam) Schmidt. He attended Fort Hays State College until he joined the Beloit, Kansas Farm Club of the St. Louis Cardinals. He quickly progressed through the minor leagues to play from 1952-59 for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds. He was inducted into the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame and continued to correspond with fans and students of baseball throughout his life. He worked during the off-season and later full-time in the Oklahoma car business. Many Norman residents will remember Schmidt-Tullius Dodge and Schmidt Bicycle and Lawnmower Center. He was an active member of St. Joseph's Parish in Norman. In 1991, he and his wife moved to a small farm in Newcastle.

Mr. Schmidt was preceded in death by his parents, six brothers, and three sisters.

Survivors include his wife, Margaret; daughter, Layne and husband, Deane; son, Paul and his wife, Sheryl, and daughter, Kathryn; daughters, Lisa Schmidt, Meg Schmidt, and Madeline Schmidt, and son Kent Schmidt and his wife, Lisa, daughter, Sarah, and grandson, Zachary. Memorial contributions may be made to the St. Joseph Parish Hall Building Fund.

Havenbrook Funeral Home, Norman, OK 329-0101

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Willard Schmidt was a terrific pitcher from Hays Kansas. He started his pro career in 1949 with Hamilton in the Pony League and had a 22-9 record. In 1950 he had a 15-11 record with Allentown, and his league leading stats in strike outs and ERA in 1951 resulted in his being promoted to the parent St. Louis club for 1952.

In 1952 and 1953 he would play with the Cardinals, but in 1953 the 25 year-old’s 9.17 ERA lead to him being sent back down to the minors. Willard Schmidt was a wildly funny and popular player in the clubhouse. He had shown streaks of brilliance in his career, but wasn’t able to put together steady performances that were up to his “potential.”

Bronx Banter
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Pastime Passings--Spring of 2007

Willard Schmidt

(Died on March 22 in Newcastle, Oklahoma; age 78): A right-handed pitcher, Schmidt won 31 games over a career that included stops with the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds during the 1950s. Schmidt was once included as part of a trade for legendary Gold Glove outfielder Curt Flood. In December of 1957, the Cardinals traded Schmidt and two other players to the Reds for Flood and outfielder Joe Taylor.

Sources: stated above

Contributed by Marti Graham, June 2007. Information posted as courtesy to viewers and researchers. The contributor is not related to nor researching any of the above.

Baseballtopia Archives viewed 05 June 2007 http://www.baseballtopia.com

Baseballtopia Archives
viewed 05 June 2007
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