The Broys of Summer

By Mike Thomas

Talent seems to run in families.  A family with one outstanding musician will often boast a number of other talented vocalists or instrumentalists spanning several generations.  Cooks, seamstresses and even dairy farmers with locally famous reputations are numerous under one family name.  Athletic talent also runs in West Frankfort families, as a study of West Frankfort year books will quickly reveal.  The Broy family of West Frankfort is synonymous with baseball, and incredibly, three of them from this community reached a professional level playing baseball in the St. Louis Cardinals organization.

Dan Broy, Jr.

Dan Broy Jr. signed with the Cardinals in 1946 when he was 21 years old.  He was married to his wife Leada and they had two children, Sally and Danny. Sally was Dan’s stepdaughter. Her father and Dan’s cousin; Robert Chance, had died in a coal mine accident near Taylorville when Leada was only three months pregnant with Sally.

Dan Broy, Jr. spent three seasons in the St. Louis Cardinals baseball organization.

In March of 1946, Pete Mondino, a part-time Cardinals scout from West Frankfort, took Dan to a tryout at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis.  Leada went along to the tryout.  Close to 100 young men were at the tryout. After watching Dan smoothly take ground balls at first base and then watching him hit four balls onto the right field pavilion roof during batting practice, they signed him to a pro contract.  He was the only player at the tryout that was signed that day.

While Dan was getting dressed in the locker room and before he was taken to the General Manager’s office to be signed, a Cardinals official escorted Leada to the GM’s office to meet the Cardinals General Manger Bill Walsingham and the Cardinals head scout Joe Mathis.  While Leada spoke to the two men she waited for Dan and Pete Mondino to meet her there.

On the way up to the office Pete told Dan that the Cardinals were going to sign him and that they might be able to get more money if he lied about his age.  He told Dan to tell the General Manager and head scout that he was only 20 years old instead of 21. Since the scout got a certain percentage of money for any players that they helped get signed, Pete had a vested interest in the deal.

When the pair walked into the GM’s office, Leada was already sitting there. She had no clue that Walsingham was a powerful person in major league baseball.  He told Dan that they were going to sign him and then started asking him questions.  One of the first Walsingham asked was, “how old are you, Dan?”  Remembering what Pete Mondino had told him, Dan falsely answered, “Sir, I just turned 20 years old.”  Leada, quickly said, “Jr., (that’s what everyone called him) what’s wrong with you?  You know you’re not 20.  You’re 21.  Dan turned beet red, and said, “That’s right, I forgot.”  The Pete Mondino plan about Dan’s age failed because Pete and Dan neglected to fill Leada in on their little white lie. But Dan still signed a contract.

The left-handed hitting first baseman was sent to their Class B team in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Growing up during the Great Depression, Dan had not traveled much. He took the train to Allentown where he was assigned a roommate by the name of Johnny Klippstein, who was also making his first big trip away from home. But the similarities between the two ended there. Johnny was 18, single, and from a middle-class Jewish family in Chicago. Dan was from the economically depressed rural coalfields of southern Illinois, 21, and married with two kids. Despite their differences, the two became best friends and Dan took the younger player under his wing, even showing him how to write a check and pay bills.

Johnny Klippstein went on to have a very successful 18-year major league baseball career with several teams from 1950-67, mainly as a relief pitcher.   He won a World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1959 and had an even more significant role with the Minnesota Twins when they won the American League pennant in 1965.  He never forgot Dan helping him early in his career and they stayed in touch for years.

Dan showed promise at Allentown, and the Cardinals rewarded him by moving him up in 1947 to Class A at Winston -Salem, North Carolina. The 1988 movie, Bull Durham, starring Kevin Costner, was filmed at the old Durham Stadium, which was home to the Durham Bulls, one of Winston-Salem’s opponents.  When the movie came out and Dan watched it, he excitedly called his children to tell them, “Hey, you have to watch the movie Bull Durham! I played in that stadium for the Winston-Salem Cardinals in 1947.”

Dan’s final year with the Cardinals was at their Class AA affiliate in Houston, Texas.  His manager at Houston was Johnny Keane, who would later manage the Cardinals 1964 World Series championship team.   Keane was a great teacher of the game and Dan later remarked he learned more about baseball and life than any other coach or manager that he ever had.

A serious coal mining accident in the winter of 1948 ended Dan’s pro career. He left the mines and worked as a truck driver for Bonifield Brothers Trucking for 30 years.  He also coached youth baseball for several years and lived the rest of his life in West Frankfort where he passed away in 1997.

Charles Broy

Charles Broy first played pro ball for the St. Louis Browns Class D affiliate in the Kitty League at Mayfield, Kentucky in 1938.  At 19 years old Charles was signed to play at Mayfield by former Major League player Bennie Tate.  But Charles career with Mayfield only lasted a few weeks.

One Sunday, several Broy family members overloaded in an old vehicle and went to Mayfield to see Charles pitch. It was the first time they had seen him play and Charles did not disappoint them, pitching a nine inning complete game 2-1 victory.  After the game, he went over to see his family members and—after a few hugs and congratulations—threw his glove and spikes into the car and jumped in. “I’m so homesick I can’t stand it any longer,” explained Charles to his bewildered family.  “I’m going home right now.  Let’s get out of here before they stop me.”

Charles Broy

Nine years later Charles would get another chance to play pro baseball with the Cardinals Class D affiliate team here in West Frankfort.  Charles had a good year in 1947 and began the season with the team in 1948.  After just a few weeks of that season, his career ended because of foot and leg problems that were attributed to acquiring trench foot while fighting in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II.   One of Charles’ teammates on the West Frankfort Cardinals 1948 team was MLB Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver, who led the Baltimore Orioles to the World Series title in 1970.

Charles worked as the Street Superintendent for the city of West Frankfort for several years.  He also coached youth baseball for several years. He lived in West Frankfort his entire life and passed away in 1988.

Dennis (Dink) Broy

In the spring of 1973 while attending an SIU baseball game, Dink’s dad, Dan Broy Jr., ran into Joe Mathis, the Cardinals head scout who had signed Dan in 1946.  Dan told Mathis that his son, Dink had been home for three of four years after serving two tours of duty in Vietnam. Dink was now 25 years old, but he was a very good left-handed hitting shortstop and that if given a chance he could play pro ball.

As he approached Dink, McCarver had a strange look on his face and said, “Hi, young man.  I hear that you just got signed to a pro contract and that you’re a Vietnam veteran.”   “Yes sir Mr. McCarver that’s true.”

McCarver then said, “Well I have a question for you before I shake your hand and congratulate you.  I saw you taking batting practice and you have a really good stroke.  My question is this.  Are you a left handed hitting catcher like me?  If so, I’m not sure if I want to shake your hand or not.”  Then with a big smile on his face McCarver said, “You may be taking my job.”

Dink replied, “No sir, Mr. McCarver. I’m a left handed hitting shortstop.”  McCarver wiped his brow, started laughing loudly and replied, “Good, I’ll shake your hand.” He congratulated Dink for signing a pro contract and thanked Dink for serving our country in Vietnam.  It was one of the few times during the 1970’s or since then that anyone sincerely thanked him for serving in Vietnam

Dink played one year for the Cardinals Rookie League team in Sarasota, Florida, but his pro career ended because of a shoulder injury.  His manager at Sarasota was former Cardinals great Kenny Boyer.  Boyer’s assistant coach at Sarasota was Lee Thomas who had a long major league playing career.  He would go on to be the General Manager of the Philadelphia Phillies from 1988-97.

Like Dan and Charles before him, Dink coached youth baseball for several years. He also served as the commander of the West Frankfort VFW for several years. He worked 22 years for the Illinois Dept. of Corrections and is now retired and living in Orient, IL.

Broy baseball talent didn’t stop then. The family boasts of three others who played baseball for Frankfort Community High School who then went on to play college baseball: Davy Broy, Bobby Broy and Steve Broy. It’s a good bet that the family baseball legacy will continue in future years. After all, it’s in their blood.