{{short description|American baseball player (1947–2017)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Infobox baseball biography |name=Billy Champion |position=Pitcher |image=Billy Champion 1973.jpg |caption=Champion in 1973 |bats=Right |throws=Right |birth_date={{Birth date|1947|9|18}} |birth_place=Shelby, North Carolina, U.S. |death_date={{Death date and age|2017|1|7|1947|9|18}} |death_place=Shelby, North Carolina, U.S. |debutleague = MLB |debutdate=June 4 |debutyear=1969 |debutteam=Philadelphia Phillies |finalleague = MLB |finaldate=June 5 |finalyear=1976 |finalteam=Milwaukee Brewers |statleague = MLB |stat1label=Win–loss record |stat1value=34–50 |stat2label=Earned run average |stat2value=4.69 |stat3label=Strikeouts |stat3value=360 |teams= *Philadelphia Phillies ({{mlby|1969}}–{{mlby|1972}}) *Milwaukee Brewers ({{mlby|1973}}–{{mlby|1976}}) }} '''Buford Billy Champion''' (September 18, 1947 – January 7, 2017) was an American professional baseball right-handed pitcher, coach, and scout who played in 202 games in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers, from {{by|1969}}–{{by|1976}}.
Bill was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 3rd round (58th overall) of the 1965 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Shelby High School in Shelby, North Carolina. In high school, Champion helped the Shelby baseball team win the 1964 Western North Carolina High School Athletic Association (WNCHSAA) championship.<ref>Walker & Whisnant. (January 12, 2017). [https://www.shelbystar.com/story/sports/pro/2017/01/13/batters-could-not-hit-him/22693460007/ 'Batters could not hit him']. ''Shelby Star''. Retrieved April 6, 2026.</ref>
Before his big league debut in {{by|1969}}, Champion was already a two-time Minor League Baseball (MiLB) earned run average (ERA) league leader: Huron Phillies, Northern League ({{by|1965}}); and Tidewater Tides, Carolina League ({{by|1968}}).<ref>1974 Bill Champion Topps baseball card (#391).</ref> He was traded along with Don Money and John Vukovich by the Phillies to the Brewers for Jim Lonborg, Ken Brett, Ken Sanders and Earl Stephenson on October 31, 1972.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1972/11/01/archives/phillies-obtain-jim-lonborg-in-7man-deal-with-brewers-don-money-key.html "Phillies Obtain Jim Lonborg In 7-Man Deal With Brewers," ''United Press International'' (UPI), Tuesday, October 31, 1972.] Retrieved April 13, 2020</ref>
Champion went on to become a scout for the Chicago Cubs and pitching coach for the Greenville Braves.{{cn|date=October 2022}}
Champion died on January 7, 2017, in Shelby, North Carolina, at the age of 69.<ref>[https://www.shelbystar.com/news/20170109/billy-champion-dies-at-age-69 Billy Champion dies at age 69]</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{baseballstats|mlb=112181|espn=20054|br=c/champbi01|fangraphs=1002127|brm=champi001buf|retro=C/Pchamb101}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Champion, Bill}} Category:1947 births Category:2017 deaths Category:Major League Baseball pitchers Category:Baseball players from North Carolina Category:Sportspeople from Shelby, North Carolina Category:Milwaukee Brewers players Category:Philadelphia Phillies players Category:Bakersfield Bears players Category:Huron Phillies players Category:Tidewater Tides players Category:Reading Phillies players Category:Eugene Emeralds players Category:Richmond Braves players Category:Oklahoma City 89ers players Category:Chicago Cubs scouts Category:20th-century American sportsmen
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