Marvin Lane
Encyclopedia
Marvin Lane is a former Major League Baseball
outfielder
who played from to and in with the Detroit Tigers
.
in 1950 and attended Pershing High School in Detroit, Michigan
. While attending Pershing, Lane played quarterback
for the football
team and outfielder for the baseball team. He was also the point guard
on the 1967 Pershing basketball team that won the Michigan state championship. His teammates on Pershing's 1967 basketball team included future NBA stars, Spencer Haywood
and Ralph Simpson
. According to Tigers' scout Bill Lajoie
, "Lane might have been Detroit's best prep athlete at the time."
, making him the last player to hit a home run at the stadium before its renovations from 1974 to 1975. In 1974, Lane appeared in 50 games for the Tigers. In July 1974, Lane had four hits, including a triple, in four at bats and scored two runs in an 8-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals
.
Billy Martin
, who was the manager of the Tigers from 1971 to 1973, attributed his firing to a difference of opinion about Lane with general manager Jim Campbell
. Martin later recalled, "Campbell kept touting Ike Blessitt
and Marvin Lane. He said they were our outfielders of the future, but to me they couldn't play. ... And these were the so-called great kids Campbell wanted me to stick with. I knew they wouldn't make the grade, and that eventually got me fired. I made the mistake of telling Campbell his star kids were bad, and he didn't like hearing it, so we got into it."
Lane compiled a career batting average of .207. He was unconditionally released by the Tigers on March 28, 1977. A spokesman for the team stated that Lane had been cut because he wanted to try to make a major league roster rather than playing another year in the Tigers' minor league organization.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
who played from to and in with the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
.
Early years
Lane was born in Sandersville, GeorgiaSandersville, Georgia
Sandersville is a city in Washington County, Georgia, United States. The population was 6,097 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Washington County...
in 1950 and attended Pershing High School in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. While attending Pershing, Lane played quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for the football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team and outfielder for the baseball team. He was also the point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
on the 1967 Pershing basketball team that won the Michigan state championship. His teammates on Pershing's 1967 basketball team included future NBA stars, Spencer Haywood
Spencer Haywood
Spencer Haywood is a retired American professional basketball player.- High school :In 1964, Haywood moved to Detroit, Michigan, where he attended Pershing High School...
and Ralph Simpson
Ralph Simpson
Ralph Derek Simpson is a retired American basketball player. He played professionally in the ABA and NBA from 1970 to 1980....
. According to Tigers' scout Bill Lajoie
Bill Lajoie
William Richard "Bill" Lajoie was an American professional baseball player, manager, scout and front-office executive...
, "Lane might have been Detroit's best prep athlete at the time."
Professional baseball
He was drafted by the Tigers in the 10th round of the 1968 amateur draft and played five seasons with the team. Lane appeared only briefly on Tigers' roster during the 1971 to 1973 seasons, appearing in no more than eight games in any season, and spending most of his time in the team's minor league organization. On September 30, 1973, Lane hit a home run at Yankee StadiumYankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...
, making him the last player to hit a home run at the stadium before its renovations from 1974 to 1975. In 1974, Lane appeared in 50 games for the Tigers. In July 1974, Lane had four hits, including a triple, in four at bats and scored two runs in an 8-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
.
Billy Martin
Billy Martin
Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, Jr. was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager. He is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times...
, who was the manager of the Tigers from 1971 to 1973, attributed his firing to a difference of opinion about Lane with general manager Jim Campbell
Jim Campbell (baseball executive)
James A. "Jim" Campbell was an American baseball executive in Major League Baseball. He served 43 seasons with the Detroit Tigers organization, 27 of them as either general manager or president....
. Martin later recalled, "Campbell kept touting Ike Blessitt
Ike Blessitt
Isaiah Blessitt , is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played in with the Detroit Tigers. He batted and threw right-handed. Blessitt had no hits in five at-bats in four games, in his one year career.He was drafted by the Tigers in the 15th round of the 1967 amateur draft.-External...
and Marvin Lane. He said they were our outfielders of the future, but to me they couldn't play. ... And these were the so-called great kids Campbell wanted me to stick with. I knew they wouldn't make the grade, and that eventually got me fired. I made the mistake of telling Campbell his star kids were bad, and he didn't like hearing it, so we got into it."
Lane compiled a career batting average of .207. He was unconditionally released by the Tigers on March 28, 1977. A spokesman for the team stated that Lane had been cut because he wanted to try to make a major league roster rather than playing another year in the Tigers' minor league organization.