ABOUT US

  HALL OF FAMERS

  DICK KADIS AWARD

  SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENTS

  OTHER HONORS

  BANQUET INFO

  SPONSORS

  PAST BANQUETS

  EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

  RANDOM INDUCTEE

  WEBSITE CREDITS

  SUBMIT A NOMINATION

Homer Benden

Baseball ∙ Beaver Falls

Homer Benden never made it to the major leagues, but he was certainly one of the best hitters ever to play in the Beaver County Baseball League. As a County League batter between 1940 and 1954, Homer slammed 462 hits in 1163 at bats for a .397 average. He also played Army ball in North Africa in 1943 as a pitcher and first baseman, compiling an 11-0 pitching record and batting .550. In the County League, he played for West Mayfield, Chippewa, Rochester, and Beaver Falls. Homer’s most famous exploit as a batter came in 1948 while playing for Rochester Legion in the Greater Pittsburgh Amateur Baseball Tournament: he whacked a long drive off the 406-foot mark on the left field wall at Forbes Field and led Rochester to the runner-up spot. Homer also was player-manager of Rochester Legion teams in both the County League and Legion League in 1948 to 1950 and of West Mayfield in the County League in 1953 and 1954. His five year managing record was 143-57 (for a .715 average). Homer's first minor league experience came with the Beaver Falls Browns, a farm club of the St Louis Browns, in 1940 at age 16. He also played for the Erie Sailors, a New York Giants farm club, in 1947 and was batting .370 after four games when a broken ankle cut his professional career short. After baseball, Homer worked for Standard Steel Specialty Company in West Mayfield.