Lee Handley

Lee Elmer Handley (July 31, 1913 – April 8, 1970) was an American professional baseball second baseman and third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball from 1936 to 1947 for the Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Philadelphia Phillies. His younger brother, Gene, also played in the major leagues from 1946 to 1947.

Early years Handley played baseball for Soldan High School and the Jerome Goldman Post American Legion team in St. Louis, Missouri. The Goldman team won the Missouri championship "due to a large degree to Handley's hitting and fielding."

College sports Handley played quarterback for Bradley Polytechnic Institute, with his accomplishments including a 50-yard pass that won a game in 1934. An article in the May 25, 1937, issue of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette described him as the "leading quarterback of the conference, featured schedule with his passing running and kicking."

In 1933, Handley won the Most Valuable Player Award in football in the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and he was an all-conference second baseman two years. and stated that he even apologized for the behavior of his teammates and his manager Ben Chapman, who had attacked Jackie with racial insults on the field.

In a 10-season career, Handley was a .269 hitter with 15 home runs and 297 runs batted in during his 968 games, including a solid 1.31 walk-to-strikeout ratio (267-to-204).

Post-baseball career In 1954, Handley and Frankie Gustine began a daily 15-minute sports program on KDKA radio in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They had previously worked together on both radio and TV programs.

Death An alumnus of Bradley University, Handley died of an apparent heart attack in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the age of 56.