1961 Decatur Commodores Roster
Team Record: 57-65
Finished 6th in the MWL
Manager: Johnny Groth (57-65)
Affiliation: Detroit Tigers
Location: Decatur, Illinois
Ballpark: Fans Field
Attendance: 65,094, Avg. 1,067
The Decatur Commodores of the Midwest League ended the 1961 season with a record of 57 wins and 65 losses, finishing sixth in the MWL.
The Commodores scored 634 runs and conceded 637 runs. Jim Northrup led Decatur with 13 home runs and drove in 73 runs. Larry Rojas paced batters with significant playing time by connecting at a .302 clip. Vernon Orndorff topped the squad with 11 wins, while Ray Cordeiro recorded a 1.77 ERA, tops among regularly-used pitchers.
Players from the 1961 Decatur Commodores who spent time in Major League Baseball during their careers included Jim Northrup, Don Bryant, Vern Holtgrave and Mickey Stanley.
Johnny Groth served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norman Adase | L | L | 6'0" | 167 | ||
| Herman Allen | R | R | 6'0" | 180 | ||
| Don Bryant | R | R | July 13, 1941 | 6'5" | 200 | Jasper, FL US |
| Robert Burch | R | R | 6'3" | 210 | ||
| Olide Campanioni | R | R | 6'1" | 163 | ||
| Francisco Ceballos | R | R | 5'11" | 165 | ||
| Ray Cordeiro | L | L | July 24, 1939 | 6'0" | 190 | Bristol, RI US |
| Ray Eberle | R | R | April 27, 1941 | 6'0" | 180 | Buffalo, NY US |
| Richard Hazard | L | R | May 17, 1935 | 6'0" | 180 | |
| Vern Holtgrave | R | R | October 18, 1942 | 6'1" | 183 | Aviston, IL US |
| Donald Hughes | R | R | 6'5" | 210 | ||
| Johnny Ison | R | R | November 11, 1939 | 6'0" | 180 | Olive Hill, KY US |
| Robert James | L | R | 6'4" | 185 | ||
| Rigoberto Mena | R | R | 5'8" | 149 | ||
| Ernesto Mesa | R | R | 5'10" | 163 | ||
| Jim Northrup | L | R | November 24, 1939 | 6'3" | 190 | Breckenridge, MI US |
| Charles Novotny | R | R | 5'10" | 172 | ||
| Vernon Orndorff | R | R | 5'9" | 155 | ||
| Tom Orton | L | R | July 4, 1938 | 6'2" | 190 | Algonac, MI US |
| John Pash | L | L | 6'3" | 187 | ||
| Mario Pelaez | R | R | October 28, 1938 | 5'7" | 160 | Cordoba, Veracruz MX |
| David Richter | L | R | 5'9" | 190 | ||
| Hector Rodriguez | L | R | 5'10" | 187 | ||
| Larry Rojas | R | R | February 2, 1942 | 5'11" | 182 | La Habana, La Habana CU |
| Frederick Ryan | L | L | 5'11" | 180 | ||
| Rodney Schifla | R | R | 6'3" | 160 | ||
| Robert Shelton | L | R | 6'1" | 195 | ||
| Mickey Stanley | R | R | July 20, 1942 | 6'1" | 185 | Grand Rapids, MI US |
| Richard Stauffer | R | R | 6'2" | 194 | ||
| Thomas Tallmadge | R | L | 6'1" | 195 | ||
| Arthur Thorne | R | R | September 6, 1941 | 6'0" | 190 | Freeport, NY US |
| Dennis Totland | R | R | 5'9" | 170 | ||
| Edward Viola | R | R | 6'0" | 172 | ||
| Michael Wyagarden | R | R | 6'2" | 185 |
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.
