Bert Ellison

Herbert Spencer Ellison (November 15, 1896 – August 11, 1955) was an American baseball player. He played professional baseball for 14 years, from 1915 to 1928, including five seasons in Major League Baseball with the Detroit Tigers from 1916 to 1920. He also played seven seasons with the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League from 1921 to 1927. Ellison was inducted into the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame in 2006.

Early years Ellison was born in Ola, Yell County, Arkansas, in 1896. In 1910, he was living with his grandfather John Sundlin, a farmer in Yell County.

Ellison enrolled at the University of Arkansas. He played third base and led the Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team in batting in 1914. He also played for the Arkansas Razorbacks football team in the fall of 1914.

Professional baseball

Minor leagues In March 1915, it was reported that Ellison had signed with the St. Louis Cardinals.

In August 1915, the Detroit Tigers purchased Ellison from the Clinton club. He was assigned for the 1916 season to the Muscatine Muskies of the Central Association. He compiled a .361 batting average in 127 games with the Muskies. Ellison made his major league debut with the Tigers at age 19 on September 18, 1916.

In 1919, Ellison finally spent a prolonged period with the Tigers, appearing in 56 games and batting .216. In 1920, he appeared in 61 games and compiled a .219 batting average. Over five seasons with the Tigers, Ellison appeared in a total of 135 games, including 47 as a first baseman, 28 as a second baseman, 18 as an outfielder, three as a third baseman, and one as a shortstop. He compiled a career batting average of .216 with the Tigers. Ellison played for the Seals from 1921 to 1927 and was the club's player-manager from 1923 to 1926.

Ellison led the Seals to two PCL championships and compiled a 322–250 record as the team's manager. His 1925 team finished 128–71, featured Lefty O'Doul, Earl Averill, and Paul Waner, and was ranked by MiLB.com as the 10th best minor league baseball team of all time. Ellison hit .325 with 22 home runs and 160 RBI that year.

Minneapolis and Dallas On April 23, 1927, the Seals sold Ellison to the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association. He played first base for the Millers in 1938 and compiled a .248 batting average in 52 games. He compiled a .298 batting average in 79 games with the Steers.

Later years After retiring from baseball, Ellison continued to live in San Francisco. In 1930, he was employed as an electric welder in the oil industry. Between 1930 and 1940, he was married to Ethel Shaw Ellison. In 1940, he worked in the customs department as an appraiser.

Ellison died in 1955 at age 58 at St. Luke's Hospital in San Francisco. He was survived by a wife, Bernice.