1951 Norfolk Tars Roster
Team Record: 81-58
Finished 1st in the PL
Manager: Mayo Smith (81-58)
Affiliation: New York Yankees
Location: Norfolk, Virginia
Ballpark: High Rock Park
Attendance: 104,914, Avg. 1,510
Playoffs - Norfolk Tars 4 games, Portsmouth Cubs 1
Finals - Norfolk Tars 4 games, Richmond Colts 2
The Norfolk Tars of the Piedmont League ended the 1951 season with a record of 81 wins and 58 losses, finishing first in the PL.
The Tars paced the league with 732 runs, spearheaded by 69 home runs. Norfolk yielded 565 runs, fewest in the league. Lou Skizas led all qualifying hitters on the roster with a .311 average. Gerald Wallis and Herbert Davis topped the squad with 13 wins each, while Don Bessent recorded a 2.04 ERA, best among qualifying pitchers.
Bill Skowron, Don Hasenmayer, Bill Virdon, Whitey Herzog, Lou Skizas, Johnny Gray and Don Bessent were all players from the 1951 Norfolk Tars who played in the Majors during their careers.
Mayo Smith served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Don Bessent | R | R | March 13, 1931 | 6'0" | 175 | Jacksonville, FL US |
| Leon Carter | R | R | August 5, 1931 | 5'11" | 180 | |
| Marvin Crater | R | May 15, 1925 | 6'0" | 185 | ||
| Larry Davidson | L | R | May 20, 1926 | 6'1" | 195 | Appomattox, VA US |
| Herbert Davis | L | L | 6'3" | 215 | ||
| Harry Eastwood | R | July 9, 1929 | 6'0" | 175 | Oakland, CA US | |
| George Gasser | R | February 28, 1921 | 5'10" | 175 | ||
| Johnny Gray | R | R | December 11, 1926 | 6'4" | 226 | West Palm Beach, FL US |
| Don Hasenmayer | R | R | April 4, 1927 | 5'10" | 180 | Roslyn, PA US |
| Whitey Herzog | L | L | November 9, 1931 | 5'11" | 182 | New Athens, IL US |
| David Krings | R | October 10, 1930 | 5'11" | 170 | ||
| Walter Lance | L | 5'10" | 180 | |||
| George Menard | L | September 2, 1927 | 6'0" | 185 | ||
| Eugene Olson | R | R | 6'1" | 180 | ||
| Gene Pompelia | R | 5'11" | 180 | |||
| Howard Schermerhorn | R | R | 5'10" | 165 | ||
| Lou Skizas | R | R | June 2, 1932 | 5'11" | 175 | Chicago, IL US |
| Bill Skowron | R | R | December 18, 1930 | 5'11" | 195 | Chicago, IL US |
| George Spears | R | October 1, 1918 | 5'9" | 165 | ||
| Bill Virdon | L | R | June 9, 1931 | 6'0" | 175 | Hazel Park, MI US |
| Gerald Wallis | R | R | 6'4" | 205 | ||
| Jack Widner | R | R | 6'2" | 185 | ||
| Ernest Wingard | L | August 23, 1927 | 5'11" | 160 |
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.
