About Don Lenhardt
Lived 1922 – 2014 (aged 91). Don Lenhardt was an American baseball player.
Donald Eugene Lenhardt (October 4, 1922 – July 9, 2014) was an American outfielder, first baseman, third baseman, scout and coach in Major League Baseball. In his playing days, he stood tall, weighed , and threw and batted right-handed. He was nicknamed "Footsie" by teammates because he often had difficulty finding shoes that fit him properly.
Lenhardt was born in Alton, Illinois, paternal side of Danube Swabians Ancestry from Austria-Hungary. He attended the University of Illinois and Washington University in St. Louis, and served in the United States Navy, before joining the St. Louis Browns' farm system in 1946, signed by scout Lou Maguolo. Lenhardt led the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League in home runs in 1948 and was promoted to the major league parent club Browns at the start of the 1950 season at age 27.
He would play in the American League for five seasons (1950–54) for the Browns (twice), Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox (twice), Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles, where as a transplanted St. Louis Brown he was a member of the first modern Baltimore MLB team in 1954. In 481 games, he batted .271 with 401 hits, 64 doubles, nine triples, 61 home runs and 239 runs batted in.
After finishing his playing career with Boston farm clubs in 1955–56, Lenhardt became a Midwest-area scout for the Red Sox for over four decades, interrupting that tenure only to serve as first-base coach on Eddie Kasko's staff in Boston from 1970 to 1973. He retired from the Red Sox in 2004, and died at age 91 on July 9, 2014.
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Important facts
People in Don Lenhardt's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Don Lenhardt's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Don Lenhardt?
American baseball player and coach (1922–2014)
When was Don Lenhardt born?
Don Lenhardt was born on 4 October 1922 in Alton.
When did Don Lenhardt die?
Don Lenhardt died on 9 July 2014 in Chesterfield.
What was Don Lenhardt's occupation?
Don Lenhardt was a baseball player.
What nationality was Don Lenhardt?
Don Lenhardt was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Don Lenhardt. https://biography.guide/don-lenhardt/
MLA: "Don Lenhardt." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/don-lenhardt/.
Chicago: "Don Lenhardt." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/don-lenhardt/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-24 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
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