Neil Berry

Neil Berry (January 11, 1922 – August 24, 2016), sometimes listed as Cornelius John Berry,

Early years Berry was born in 1922 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He attended Kalamazoo Central High School where he played football and baseball. In 1938, at age 16, he was a triple-threat halfback who led Kalamazoo to a conference championship, scored 12 touchdowns, and was selected as captain of the all-state football team. He also played basketball for Kalamazoo Central and was a member of the school's 1937 state championship team. He enrolled at Western State Teachers College (now Western Michigan University) in the fall of 1940. He left the school after only one year.

Professional baseball Winston-Salem (1942) Berry was signed by Wish Egan for the Detroit Tigers in November 1941. He was assigned to the Winston-Salem Twins where he played shortstop and appeared in 135 games during the 1942 season, compiling a .231 batting average. He was rated the best-fielding shortstop in the Piedmont League, selected to the Piedmont League all-star team, and voted the most popular player on the Winston-Salem team.

Military service (1943-1945) He missed the 1943, 1944, and 1945 seasons of military service.

Buffalo Bisons (1946-1947) After the war, he spent the 1946 and 1947 seasons with the Buffalo Bisons, Detroit's affiliate in the International League. He was regarded as "one of the best defensive shortstops and fastest infielders in the International League." He compiled a .299 batting average with 50 RBIs for the Bisons in 1947.

Berry made his major-league debut on April 20, 1948, as the Tigers' starting shortstop, tallying his first major-league hit in the ninth inning and driving in a run. Berry ultimately lost the starting shortstop job to Johnny Lipon. Berry remained with the Tigers throughout the 1948 season, starting 38 games at shortstop and 26 games at second base while compiling a .266 batting average and .358 on-base percentage.

Berry later recalled that his fondest memory from his playing career was from the final game of the 1948 season. Berry hit a double and two singles off Bob Feller. Berry was a utility infielder for the Browns in 1953, appearing in 57 games, including 18 games at second base, 18 games at third base, and six games at shortstop. He appeared in only five games for the White Sox. He concluded his playing career appearing in five games with the Orioles. He appeared in his last major-league game on May 11, 1954.

A biography of Berry, "The Shortstop From Kalamazoo: The Life and Times of Neil Berry", was published in 2020.