Wayne Terwilliger, One of Oldest MLB'ers, Dies; Was WMU Alumnus

Wayne Terwilliger, who played 12 seasons in the Major Leagues, and was the oldest living Chicago Cub, and one of the oldest living MLB'er, has died at the age of 95. Terwilliger, known to his teammates as "Twig", was born in in Clare, Michigan and played at Western Michigan College (the school's name then) before embarking on his professional career.

Before enrolling at Western, Terwilliger was a World War II hero having served as a Marine corporal in the Pacific and participating in the Battle of Iwo Jima.

After the war, he enrolled at WMU, and was the star shortstop. He then played semi-pro ball for a short time before signing with the Chicago Cubs. He made the majors in 1949, and played until 1960, with five teams, beginning with the Chicago Cubs, and then the Brooklyn Dodgers, Washington Senators, New York Giants and Kansas City Athletics.

Terwilliger, a baseball lifer, began the second half of his baseball career, as a manager and coach, in 1962, first managing in the Washington Senators organization, and then coaching for Hall of Famer Ted Williams with the Senators until the early 1970, through the team's move to Texas. He then spent almost a decade managing in the minor leagues, before joining the Minnesota Twins, and was the first base coach for both their World Series championship teams, in 1987 and 1991.

Terwilliger coached and managed independent league teams until 2010.

Former White Sox, Yankees and Cleveland 1st baseman, and executive Eddie Robinson is currently the oldest living MLB'er. He is actually working on a podcast sharing his memories. Robinson is 100.