Bernice Gera

Who was Bernice Gera?

Bernice Shiner Gera was the first female umpire in professional baseball.

Born in Ernest, Pennsylvania, Gera loved baseball as a child, but never considered a career in baseball until she was already in her mid thirties, married, and working as a secretary. According to a Time Magazine article, the idea to become an umpire just suddenly hit her one night. Gera sold her husband on the idea and enrolled in the Florida Baseball School in 1967.

As umpiring had been a strictly male profession up to that point, the school had no facilities for Gera, and she spent much of the six-week program living in a nearby motel. By several reports, she excelled in her training, yet Gera was rejected by the National Association of Baseball Leagues, which claimed that she did not meet the physical requirements of the job.

Undeterred, Gera fought the NABL in court for several years. On January 13, 1972, Gera finally won a discrimination suit against the NABL, and she received a contract to work in the New York-Penn League on April 13, opening the door for her to become the first female umpire in professional baseball. On June 23, 1972, she gained national attention when she umpired the first game of a Class A minor league double header between the Geneva Senators and Auburn Twins.