Benjamin Francis "Bud" Chamberlain (May 24, 1920 – August 24, 2012) was an American baseball player and realtor. He played baseball for the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

from 1939 to 1942. He led the

Wolverines The wolverine ( , ; ''Gulo gulo''), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The wolverine ...

to consecutive

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

baseball championships in 1941 and 1942 and won the Conference batting title in 1942. In 1948, he founded Chamberlain Realtors in

Oakland County, Michigan Oakland County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a principal county of the Detroit metropolitan area, containing the bulk of Detroit's northern suburbs. Its county seat, seat of government is Pontiac, Mic ...

. He was inducted into the

University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor The University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan#Athletics, University of Michigan sportsperson, athletes, Coach (sports), coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to t ...

in 1982.

Early years

Chamberlain was born in 1920 in

Clarkston, Michigan Clarkston is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, United States. A northern suburb of Metro Detroit, Detroit, located about northwest of downtown Detroit, Clarkston is surrounded by Independence Township, Michigan, Independence Township, but admin ...

. He attended Royal Oak High School where he played football, baseball, and basketball. He graduated from there in 1938.

University of Michigan

Chamberlain enrolled at the University of Michigan. He was a third baseman for the

Michigan Wolverines baseball The Michigan Wolverines baseball team represents the University of Michigan in NCAA Division I college baseball. Along with most other Michigan athletic teams, the baseball team participates in the Big Ten Conference. They play their home games ...

team from 1938 to 1942. He won the

batting championship in 1942 with a .352 batting average. Chamberlain's career highlights include the following: * On April 12, 1941, Chamberlain led the Wolverines to a 13–5 victory over the University of Maryland with two triples. He hit the first triple with the bases loaded in the first inning. *In June 1941, the Michigan Wolverines won the Big Ten Conference baseball championship with a 10–2 record in conference games. The championship was Michigan's second since 1929. The team would repeat as Big Ten champions in 1942. *On April 25, 1942, Chamberlain compiled six RBI's in the first inning of a game against Purdue. He hit a double with the bases loaded in his first at bat and followed with a three-run home run later in the inning. The Wolverines scored a total of 11 runs in the inning. *On April 27, 1942, Chamberlain hit a home run to help lead the Wolverines to a victory over Michigan Normal (now known as

Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, EMich, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern) is a public university, public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it was the fourth normal ...

). *In June 1942, the Wolverines tied with Iowa for the Big Ten baseball championship. Chamberlain led the conference in both bases and RBIs. In 1956, Ray Fisher, who had been the head baseball coach at Michigan since 1921, selected Chamberlain as the third baseman on his all-time Michigan baseball team. Chamberlain was inducted into the

in 1982. He is one of 15 individuals, along with Jim Abbott,

Steve Boros Stephen Boros Jr. (September 3, 1936 – December 29, 2010) was an American professional baseball infielder, coach, manager, scout, and administrator. Best known for his scientific approach to the sport and his use of computers, Boros' baseball ...

Barry Larkin Barry Louis Larkin (born April 28, 1964) is an American former professional baseball shortstop. As a player he spent his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Cincinnati Reds from 1986 to 2004. He briefly played in the mi ...

Branch Rickey Wesley Branch Rickey (December 20, 1881 – December 9, 1965) was an American baseball player and sports executive. Rickey was instrumental in breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier by signing black player Jackie Robinson. He also creat ...

, and

George Sisler George Harold Sisler (March 24, 1893 – March 26, 1973), nicknamed "Gorgeous George", was an American professional baseball first baseman and player-manager. From 1915 through 1930, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the History of t ...

, to be inducted into the university's Hall of Honor principally for their contributions to the baseball team.University of Michigan Hall of Honor
. GoBlue (University of Michigan Athletics official website). Retrieved 2011-09-09. In 1973, the mayor of Royal Oak proclaimed "B.F. Chamberlain Day," and in 1994, the State of Michigan issued a special tribute to him for his active involvement in state and national issues. In 1997 he was also inducted into the Royal Oak High School Hall of Fame.

Military service and professional career

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Chamberlain enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving for five years. He received a

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

for his wartime service. After being discharged from the Navy, Chamberlain returned to

Royal Oak, Michigan Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Metro Detroit, Detroit, Royal Oak is located roughly north of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 cens ...

. He founded Chamberlain Realtors in 1948. Chamberlain died in 2012 at age 92.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chamberlain, Bud 2012 deaths 1920 births Michigan Wolverines baseball players Sportspeople from Royal Oak, Michigan Sportspeople from Clarkston, Michigan Baseball players from Oakland County, Michigan 20th-century American sportsmen

Early years

University of Michigan

Military service and professional career

See also

Notes