Leon Riley

Who was Leon Riley?

Leon Francis Riley, Sr. was an American player and manager in minor league baseball. During a playing career that stretched from 1927 to 1942 and 1944 to 1949, Riley appeared in 2,267 minor league games for 21 different teams, with a brief trial with the 1944 Philadelphia Phillies during the World War II manpower shortage. He was the father of Lee and Pat Riley.

Born in Princeton, Nebraska, Riley was an outfielder and first baseman who stood 6 ft 1 in tall, weighed 185 pounds, batted left-handed, and threw right-handed. Although he reached the top minor-league level in 116 games for the Rochester Red Wings and Baltimore Orioles of the Class AA International League, he spent most of his playing career in the Class A Western League, leading that loop in triples with 27 in 1929.

In 1937, Riley became the playing manager with the Beatrice Blues in the Class D Nebraska State League. The Blues finished well below .500 that year, but Riley won the NSL batting title with a .372 batting average. In 1938, the Blues posted a winning mark and Riley repeated as batting champ with a .365 average, while also leading the NSL in runs batted in.