Bob Allison

[Al from SoDak]

Bob Allison was born July 11, 1934, just outside Kansas City. Bob was a multi-sport athlete in high school. After high school, he enrolled at the University of Kansas on a football scholarship but also played baseball. During his college years, baseball scouts started noticing Allison in the summer Ban Johnson baseball league in and around Kansas City. He signed with the Washington Senators in 1955. In 1956, Allison roomed with Harmon Killebrew in AAA Charlotte starting a lifelong friendship.

He debuted on September 16, 1958, in a 5-1 loss against Cleveland. Allison had one of only two hits that day for the Senators.

Nobody expected too much from Allison when the 1959 season opened, but he went on to hit .261/.333/.482 earning an all-star berth and the American League Rookie of the Year.

After the Senators moved to Minnesota, Bob was a mainstay for the Twins as the young team grew and matured into contenders. He played mostly right or left field, but also played more than 100 games in center field and first base. He was key player for the Twins throughout the 1960s having all-star seasons in 1963 and 1964 finishing each year with an OPS over .900. He also had a very good season during the World Series year of 1965. After 1965, his number of games played dwindled because of injuries. Allison retired after the 1970 season.

After the Senators moved to Minnesota, Allison always lived in the Twin Cities year-round and worked for Coca-Cola in the winters. After retiring from baseball, he started working for Coca-Cola full-time, retiring from that long career in 1989. Unfortunately, shortly after retirement he was diagnosed with Ataxia, a rare disease that impairs nerves and coordination. He passed away in 1995 at the age of 60.

In 1990, Allison, with help from former teammates Jim Kaat and Frank Quilici, set up the Bob Allison Ataxia Research Center at the University of Minnesota. The Center has raised more than $10 million dollars for Ataxia research. However, Ataxia remains incurable.

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[David HK]

One of my favorite Twins growing up!  The 65 series was my first baseball memory, and I can still recall people hooting watching that catch!