January 18 Happy Birthday to Former Tigers or Detroit Wolverines

Marvin Lane played his entire major league career in Detroit. Marvin went to Pershing High School in Detroit and was drafted by the Tigers in 1968. He made his major league debut as a pinch hitter as a late season call up in 1971. The next day he got a start in left field and got his first hit as a major leaguer against Mike Kekich and the Yankees. He got in another six games and only got one more hit. In 1972 and 1973 it was more of the same, 8 games in 72 without a hit, 6 games in 73 with 2 hits. In 1974 he actually got some playing time and was in 50 games as an outfielder. He hit .233 with 2 homers and 9 RBI’s. 1975 found Marvin in Evansville, the Tigers AAA farm team and he hit .256. In 1976 Marvin spent most of the year in Evansville again but did get called up for 18 games. On October 3, the game of the season, Marvin was the starting left fielder. After going 0 for 4, he made his last plate appearance against Milwaukee’s Moose Haas. Marvin got a single. It was his last appearance as a major leaguer. For his career in the majors Marvin hit .207 with 3 homers and 17 RBI’s.

Chuck Cottier was a second baseman who played briefly for the Tigers in the early 1960’s. He started his career with 10 games as a back up in 1959. In 1960 he became their starting second baseman and hit .227. At the end of the season he was part of the trade with the Braves that brought Dick Brown, Terry Fox, Billy Bruton and Chuck to the Tigers for Frank Bolling and Neil Chrisley.  Frank Bolling became an all star second baseman for the Braves and Chuck got in ten games a Tiger backing up shortstop Chico Fernandez and second baseman, Jake Wood.  In those ten games Chuck went 2 for 7 with a walk, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored.  In June Chuck was traded to the Senators for Hal Woodeshick.   Chuck became the starting second baseman for the Senators before being replaced by Don Blasingame.  Chuck then got in a handful of games with the Angels in 1968 and 1969 before his playing days were done.  Later Chuck went in to coaching and even managed the Seattle Mariners for about two years from 1984 into 1986.

Nolen Richardson played six seasons in the majors spread out over 11 years with half the time spent as a Tiger.   However, in total he played a little more than one season.   He was from the University of Georgia before starting his professional career in the minors in 1927 in the Tigers farm system.  He was the opening day shortstop in 1929 and we went 0-2 but did get two walks.  However, he was caught stealing.  The next day he was 1-6 while driving in a run and scored a run himself against the Indians.   He started the first six games for the Tigers in 1929.  But he was still hitting only .211 and the Tigers were confused at shortstop.  Three players had 24 games or more at short that season with Heinie Schuble being the main starter with 85 games.  Nolen was the fourth man.  He hit .190 in 13 games in 1929 and spent most of the season in Toronto with the Maple Leafs.  He spent all of 1930 at Toronto and hit .277.  He was back with Detroit in 1931 and 1932 but was back up third baseman now to Marty McManus and Heinie Schuble who had moved over from short in 1932.  Nolen got in a total of 120 games with the Tiges and hit .241 without a single homer and only 30 RBI’s.  Nolen dropped to the minors for the next two years and returned for 12 games with the Yankees in 1935 before dropping into the minors for another two years and returning to the majors in 1938 and 1939 with the Cincinnati Reds as a back up shortstop.  He returned to the University of Georgia and was coaching there when he died in 1951 at the age of 48.

Danny Clark started his major league playing time as a Tiger in 1922.  He got in after playing nine years in the minors from 1913 to 1921.  He was about a .300 hitter in the minors as a third baseman.  He played the season with the Tigers in 1922 as a back up second baseman, and a few games in the outfield and only one game at third.  He hit .292 with 3 homers and 26 RBI’s.  But at the end of the season he was traded with Howard Ehmke, Babe Herman, Carl Holling and $25,000 to the Boston Red Sox for Rip Collins and Del Pratt.  He was in the minors again for 1923 but returned to the majors with the Sox in 1924.  He hit .277 as their staring third baseman.  But he was replaced at third by Doc Prothro in 1925.  He made one more appearance in the majors in 1927 with the Cardinals.  He continued to play in the minors until 1930 and died in 1937 at the age of 43.