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American Legion Player of the Year
The American Legion Player of the Year award is based on integrity, mental attitude, cooperation, citizenship, sportsmanship, scholastic aptitude and general good conduct.
American Legion Baseball is a variety of amateur baseball played by teenage boys in 50 states in the USA. More than five thousand teams participate each year. The American Legion Department of South Dakota established the program in 1925 at Milbank, South Dakota. Many Major League Baseball players played American Legion Baseball and every player - major leaguer or not - who has won the George W. Rulon Player of the Year is listed below in chronological order.
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"(Gus) Gil was the man we wanted. I thought he was a great one." - Cincinnati Reds General Manager Gabe Paul in Baseball Digest (July 1968, 'Blind Man's Buff', Page 74)
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| Year |
Name(s) |
Post |
City, State |
| 1949 |
Ray Herrara |
Post 337 |
Oakland, California |
| 1950 |
J. W. Porter |
Post 337 |
Oakland, California |
| 1951 |
Grover Jones, Jr. |
Post 135 |
White Plains, New York |
| 1952 |
Russ Nixon |
Post 50 |
Cincinnati, Ohio |
| 1953 |
Chuck Lindstrom |
Post 10 |
Winnetka, Illinois |
| 1954 |
Billy Capps |
Post 492 |
San Diego, California |
| 1955 |
Frank Birri |
Post 216 |
Cincinnati, Ohio
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| 1956 |
Jim Harwell |
Post 345 |
New Orleans, Louisiana
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| 1957 |
Fred Fox |
Post 50 |
Cincinnati, Ohio
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| 1958 |
Kiebler James |
Post 20 |
Greenwood, South Carolina
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| 1959 |
Fred Bowen, Jr. |
Post 187 |
Detroit, Michigan
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| 1960 |
Rich Roniger |
Post 125 |
New Orleans, Louisiana
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| 1961 |
Jim Gerber |
Post 554 |
Cincinnati, Ohio
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| 1962 |
Billy Matan |
Post 299 |
St. Louis, Missouri
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| 1963 |
Richard Dash |
Post 27 |
Long Beach, California
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| 1964 |
Rollie Fingers |
Post 73 |
Upland, California
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| 1965 |
Ken Fila |
Post 1 |
Omaha, Nebraska
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| 1966 |
William C. Parker |
Post 34 |
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
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| 1967 |
Ray Lynn Larson |
Post 791 |
Northbrook, Illinois
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| 1968 |
Don Castle |
Post 1 |
Memphis, Tennessee
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| 1969 |
John Adeimy |
Post 12 |
West Palm Beach, Florida
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| 1970 |
Carroll Watts |
Post 1 |
Tulsa, Oklahoma
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| 1971 |
Randy Haas |
Post 790 |
West Covina, California
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| 1972 |
Michael Charles Murphy |
Post 611 |
Ballwin, Missouri
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| 1973 |
Tucker Ashford |
Post 1 |
Memphis, Tennessee
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| 1974 |
Edwin Lopez |
Post 146 |
Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico
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| 1975 |
Dave Edler |
Post 36 |
Yakima, Washington
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| 1976 |
Gustavo Malespin |
Post 175 |
Metairie, Louisiana
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| 1977 |
William Schell |
Post 50 |
South Bend, Indiana
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| 1978 |
Ross Jones |
Post 32 |
Hialeah, Florida
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| 1979 |
Pat Allen |
Post 36 |
Yakima, Washington
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| 1980 |
Gus Gil |
Post 32 |
Hialeah, Florida
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| 1981 |
Dave Magadan |
Post 248 |
Tampa, Florida
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| 1982 |
Ivan Snyder |
Post 471 |
Boyertown, Pennsylvania
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| 1983 |
Mike Halloran |
Post 471 |
Edina, Minnesota
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| 1984 |
Jorge Robles |
Post 134 |
Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
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| 1985 |
Tris Lipscomb |
Post 186 |
Midlothian, Virginia
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| 1986 |
Joe Grahe |
Post 126 |
Jensen Beach, Florida
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| 1987 |
Wilbur Stout |
Post 471 |
Boyertown, Pennsylvania
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| 1988 |
Mike Kessler |
Post 507 |
Cincinnati, Ohio
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| 1989 |
Del Marine |
Post 826 |
Woodland Hills, California
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| 1990 |
Mark Foster |
Post 226 |
Mayo, Maryland
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| 1991 |
Ryan Beeney |
Post 85 |
Newark, Ohio
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| 1992 |
David Lamb |
Post 18 |
Newbury Park, California
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| 1993 |
Ben Thomas |
Post 22 |
Rapid City, South Dakota
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| 1994 |
Fernando Rodriguez |
Post 346 |
Miami, Florida
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| 1995 |
Jason Adaro |
Post xx |
Aiea, Hawaii
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| 1996 |
Christian Bourgeois |
Post 81 |
Gonzales, Louisiana
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| 1997 |
Nate Philo |
Post 15 |
Medford, Oregon
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| 1998 |
Chad Opel |
Post 199 |
Edwardsville, Illinois
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| 1999 |
Jeremy Roberts |
Post 83 |
Rison, Arizona
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| 2000 |
Josh Zender |
Post 83 |
Deming, Washington
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| 2001 |
Jay Threet |
Post 275 |
Adrian, Michigan
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| 2002 |
Ty Henkaline
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Post 217
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Sidney, Ohio
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| 2003 |
Jared Willis
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Post 19
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Logan, West Virginia
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| 2004 |
Nolan Gallagher
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Post xx
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Red Lodge, Montana
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| 2005 |
Fernando Irizarry
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Post xx
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Montero, Puerto Rico
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| 2006 |
Joe Walsh
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Post 79
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Weymouth, Massachusetts
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| 2007 |
Blaine Drozd
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Post 263
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Genoa, Nebraska
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| 2008 |
Patrick Singletary
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Post 77
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Hendersonville, North Carolina
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| 2009 |
Tyler Jacobson
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Post 337
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Pulaski, Wisconsin |
| 2010 |
Brandon Drozd |
Post 263 |
Genoa, Nebraska |
| 2011 |
Blake Schmit |
Post 409 |
Eden Prairie, Minnesota |
| 2012 |
Not Yet Announced (11-2012)
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| Year |
Name(s) |
Post |
City, State |
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American Legion Player of the Year |
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