Maury Wills greets Lee Pfund in August 2012 (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)
By Jon Weisman
Lee Pfund, who pitched 15 games for the Dodgers in 1945 and later went to become an immensely successful baseball and basketball coach at Wheaton College, passed away Thursday at age 96.
Pfund, the father of former Lakers coach Randy Pfund, coached Wheaton to the 1957 NCAA College Division basketball title and won 362 games from 1952-75, then later was honored by the school naming its baseball stadium after him.
Born in Oak Park, Illinois nine days after the 1919 World Series involving the Chicago White Sox ended, Pfund pitched two shutout innings on April 25, 1945, in his Major League debut, a memory he described in this Dodger Insider story commemorating the 70th anniversary of that moment and recalling his life in sports. Click here to read the entire story.
Our best wishes go to Randy Pfund and the Pfund family.
Lizabeth Kirk
Jon,
I enjoyed your story about Lee Pfund’s death at age 96. There is one thing that should, however, be changed, your last line reads, “Our best wishes go out to Randy Pfund and the Pfund family.” This line would be better suited to say, “Our sincere condolences go out to Randy and the entire Pfund family.” This is not a birthday, wedding, or other family event, this is a notice of the death of a loved one.
Lizabeth Kirk tinlizzie104@verizon.net