Bill Bergesch

Louis William Bergesch (June 17, 1921 – May 10, 2011) was an American Major League Baseball executive. Beginning as a minor league manager and scouting director in the St. Louis Cardinals organization, he would serve in a variety of management and front office roles over a career spanning almost five decades, except for a brief period spent as president of one of the first professional soccer league teams to be established in the United States, the New York Generals. Returning to baseball however, Bergesch would ultimately serve as a senior front office executive or general manager for several major league teams, including most prominently, the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Yankees.

Early life

He was a native of St. Louis, Missouri. He attended Washington University prior to Pearl Harbor, but joined the U.S. Army in 1942. He served in the First Special Service Force, a unit trained for specialized assault and mountain combat, and a precursor to the U.S. Army Green Berets. He obtained the non-commissioned rank of Platoon Sergeant, and served in combat in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. In North Africa, he landed as part of the Operation Torch landings, and received his first Purple Heart. Later, he landed at Salerno, as part of Operation Avalanche. He was again wounded, this time seriously, during the disastrous attempted crossing of the Gari (river) known as the Battle of Rapido River in January, 1944, that battle occurring in the opening stages of the larger, simultaneous Battle of Monte Cassino, which continued until May. Bergesch received a second Purple Heart. He was, however, paralyzed on the right side of his body for a substantial period of time.

He was returned to the U.S. and was discharged from service 15 June 1944. He then returned to Washington University, where he graduated in 1946, with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Bergesch was admitted to and briefly attended Washington University School of Law, but withdrew after less than one full academic year, in order to pursue other opportunities in professional baseball management.

In his career at Washington University, both before and after World War II, he played varsity football, basketball, and track. Attempting to return to playing football post-war, Bergesch made the team, but due to his injury was unable to complete the season, re-injuring his shoulder in the fourth game of the season playing against Ohio State University. Similarly, although also attempting to return to playing basketball after the war, he found he was unable to raise his right arm to shoot. Bergesch taught himself to play left-handed, made the team and continued to play, and was named team captain in his senior year. He married Virginia Kammerer, another graduate of Washington University and St. Louis native, in 1947.

Baseball career

In 1947, Bergesch joined the St. Louis Cardinals organization. He was sent to Albany, Georgia to serve as general manager of a local franchise team owned by the Cardinals. For the next decade, he served in similar roles with other St. Louis Cardinal minor league teams, including the Omaha Cardinals, one of two AAA teams in the Cardinals minor league system. While at Omaha, Bergesch signed future Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson, from Creighton UniversityHalberstam, David, October 1964, Ballentine Press pp 102–105.

Bergesch was called to the St Louis head office in 1960. In 1961 he joined the joining the Kansas City Athletics, which had recently been purchased by Charles O. Finley, as Assistant General Manager to Frank Lane

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