1983
Bio:
Charley Gehringer was revered for his hitting and respected for his professionalism in his 19 years as a Detroit Tiger baseball player. With a lifetime batting average of .320, Gehringer helped the Tigers win three pennants and earned several honors for himself. He was the American League batting champion (with a .373 average) and Most Valuable Player in 1937, made six All-Star teams, and earned the Tiger season records for most time at bat for a left-handed hitter and fewest strike-outs in a season during his career. He was appreciated by his fellow ballplayers for his technique, considered an ideal player by management because he kept in perfect condition and was unselfish, and was respected by the owners for his conduct on and off the field. Gehringer began his astounding baseball career with the Tigers in 1926, after spending two years of intermittent play with the Michigan-Ontario League, Detroit, and the International League. In 1927, his first full year with the Tigers he batted .317, one of the 13 seasons (eight consecutive) in which he was over .300. He played in three World Series before ending his playing career in 1941. The next year, he became a Tiger coach, then enlisted in the Navy for the duration of World War II. He was discharged with the rank of lieutenant commander. In 1949 he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame and in 1960 named the Greatest Living Second Baseman. He had, in 1938, accepted a partnership in an automobile accessory firm in Detroit and once noted, “Us ballplayers do things backward. First we play, then we retire and go to work.” He has remained involved with the Tigers, though, being named a Tiger Vice President in 1952 and later serving as a Tiger consultant.
Award was presented at the President’s Cabinet Annual Awards Dinner, April 30, 1983.