About Bill Champion
Lived 1947 – 2017 (aged 69). Bill Champion was an American baseball player.
Buford Billy Champion (September 18, 1947 – January 7, 2017) was an American professional baseball right-handed pitcher, coach, and scout who played in 202 games in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers, from –.
Bill was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 3rd round (58th overall) of the 1965 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Shelby High School in Shelby, North Carolina. In high school, Champion helped the Shelby baseball team win the 1964 Western North Carolina High School Athletic Association (WNCHSAA) championship.
Before his big league debut in , Champion was already a two-time Minor League Baseball (MiLB) earned run average (ERA) league leader: Huron Phillies, Northern League ; and Tidewater Tides, Carolina League . He was traded along with Don Money and John Vukovich by the Phillies to the Brewers for Jim Lonborg, Ken Brett, Ken Sanders and Earl Stephenson on October 31, 1972.
Champion went on to become a scout for the Chicago Cubs and pitching coach for the Greenville Braves.
Champion died on January 7, 2017, in Shelby, North Carolina, at the age of 69.
Don’t just read it —
keep it.
Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.
- E-book
- Audio
- Video
Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free
Important facts
People in Bill Champion's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Related people
Same field, nearest in time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Bill Champion's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Bill Champion?
American baseball player (1947-2017)
When was Bill Champion born?
Bill Champion was born on 28 September 1947 in Shelby.
When did Bill Champion die?
Bill Champion died on 7 January 2017 in Shelby.
What was Bill Champion's occupation?
Bill Champion was a baseball player.
What nationality was Bill Champion?
Bill Champion was American.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: Bill Champion (baseball)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Bill Champion. https://biography.guide/bill-champion/
MLA: "Bill Champion." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/bill-champion/.
Chicago: "Bill Champion." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/bill-champion/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
Page generated 2026-09-27 05:10 UTC