Don Bryant (baseball)

Donald Ray Bryant (July 13, 1941 – January 22, 2015) was an American catcher and coach in Major League Baseball. He was nicknamed "Bear" by baseball teammates in homage to University of Alabama football coaching legend Paul "Bear" Bryant. Born in Jupiter, Florida, Bryant threw and batted right-handed, stood 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) tall and weighed 200 pounds (91 kg).

Bryant's 14-year professional playing career began in the Detroit Tigers' organization in 1960. It included 892 games played in the minor leagues and 59 games at the MLB level during one full season and parts of two others in the National League with the 1966 Chicago Cubs and the 1969–1970 Houston Astros. In the Majors, Bryant batted .220 with 24 hits, one home run and 13 runs batted in, and caught Don Wilson's second career no-hitter on May 1, 1969, against the Cincinnati Reds.^[1][2]

Bryant was acquired by the Boston Red Sox in December 1970 and became a playing coach for their Triple-A affiliate, the Pawtucket Red Sox, in 1973. The following year, Pawtucket manager Darrell Johnson was promoted to Boston as field boss, and brought Bryant with him as bullpen coach. Bryant coached under Johnson in Boston (1974–76) — serving on the 1975 American League championship team — and with the Seattle Mariners (1977–80) before leaving the game.

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Baseball Reference Bullpen
• Retrosheet
• Venezuelan Professional Baseball League
• Obituary