1959 Durham Bulls Roster
Team Record: 70-60
Finished 3rd in the CL
Manager: Frank Skaff (70-60)
Affiliation: Detroit Tigers
Location: Durham, North Carolina
Ballpark: Durham Athletic Park
Attendance: 32,039, Avg. 493
Playoffs - Wilson Tobs 3 games, Durham Bulls 0
The Durham Bulls of the Carolina League ended the 1959 season with a record of 70 wins and 60 losses, finishing third in the CL.
The Bulls paced the league with just 605 runs allowed. Durham scored 644 runs. Leo Smith led the squad with 13 home runs and recorded 87 runs batted in. Dan Briner topped all qualifying hitters on the roster with a .298 average. Phillip Kliewer, Dick Sheldon and George Schmid paced the team with 9 wins each, while Phillip Kliewer registered a 2.09 earned run average, tops among pitchers with enough qualifying appearances.
Members of the 1959 Durham Bulls who played in Major League Baseball during their careers were Don Wert, Purnal Goldy, Mickey Lolich, Dick McAuliffe, George Smith, Larry Foster, Lorencito Fernández, Jackie Moore, Doug Gallagher and Bob Humphreys.
Frank Skaff served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clifford Adams | R | R | February 6, 1937 | 6'1" | 180 | |
| John Aehl | L | L | September 7, 1935 | 5'9" | 180 | |
| Rufus Anderson | R | R | December 19, 1938 | 5'11" | 155 | Valdosta, GA US |
| Gene Bacque | R | R | August 12, 1937 | 6'3" | 195 | |
| Richard Beck | R | R | November 21, 1935 | 6'0" | 190 | |
| James Boger | R | R | April 17, 1938 | 6'1" | 180 | |
| Jack Bowen | R | R | July 29, 1937 | 6'0" | 185 | |
| Dan Briner | L | L | June 20, 1937 | 5'9" | 160 | |
| Ted Brzenk | R | R | October 7, 1937 | 6'0" | 185 | |
| Eugene Burroughs | R | L | March 3, 1939 | 6'1" | 178 | |
| Jerry Burttram | R | R | July 5, 1937 | 6'0" | 175 | |
| Art Clessuras | L | L | October 19, 1938 | 5'11" | 175 | |
| Jack Crouch | L | R | 5'9" | 175 | ||
| Pat Duke | R | R | May 14, 1936 | 6'0" | 175 | |
| Lorencito Fernández | R | R | June 23, 1939 | 5'10" | 160 | La Habana, La Habana CU |
| Larry Foster | L | R | December 24, 1937 | 6'0" | 185 | Lansing, MI US |
| Frank Franchi | R | R | December 6, 1936 | 5'8" | 165 | |
| Doug Gallagher | R | L | February 21, 1940 | 6'3" | 195 | Fremont, OH US |
| Purnal Goldy | R | R | November 28, 1937 | 6'5" | 200 | Camden, NJ US |
| Bob Humphreys | R | R | August 18, 1935 | 5'11" | 165 | Covington, VA US |
| David Justus | R | R | 5'10" | 170 | ||
| Phillip Kliewer | R | L | 6'3" | 170 | ||
| Richard Klunder | S | L | 6'3" | 190 | ||
| Nikko Koleff | R | R | September 2, 1934 | 6'1" | 175 | |
| Mickey Lolich | S | L | September 12, 1940 | 6'1" | 170 | Portland, OR US |
| William Maupin | R | R | June 3, 1937 | 6'2" | 195 | |
| Dick McAuliffe | L | R | November 29, 1939 | 5'11" | 176 | Hartford, CT US |
| Bob McDaniel | R | R | April 5, 1933 | 6'1" | 190 | |
| William McNeill | L | R | July 19, 1934 | 6'0" | 170 | |
| Jackie Moore | R | R | February 19, 1939 | 6'0" | 180 | Jay, FL US |
| Larry Nosse | R | L | 6'0" | 200 | ||
| John O'Cain | L | L | June 4, 1935 | 6'0" | 185 | Orangeburg, SC US |
| Jesse Queen | R | R | June 7, 1937 | 5'9" | 170 | Cuthbert, GA US |
| George Schmid | R | R | 6'1" | 190 | ||
| J. C. Sells | R | March 30, 1934 | 6'1" | 185 | ||
| Dick Sheldon | R | R | May 6, 1936 | 6'1" | 180 | |
| Roger Sheppard | R | R | April 14, 1937 | 6'2" | 190 | Gastonia, NC US |
| Dick Smallwood | S | L | 5'11" | 175 | ||
| George Smith | R | R | July 7, 1937 | 5'10" | 170 | St. Petersburg, FL US |
| Leo Smith | L | R | May 5, 1938 | 6'2" | 210 | Mobile, AL US |
| James Spyhalski | R | 6'2" | 185 | |||
| Don Wert | R | R | July 29, 1938 | 5'10" | 162 | Strasburg, PA US |
Average attendance is based upon the number of actual home dates where known (most leagues from 1992 and later). Where the number of home dates is not known, the average is calculated using half the team's total games.
