Villanova Univeristy Athletics

Frank Skaff played for Villanova from 1933-35 and was one of the team’s stars of that era.  He was inducted to the Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 1976.  Villanova was 24-11 (.686) during his years on the baseball team, with the 1935 squad going 9-3 and posting a .750 winning percentage.  Skaff is one of six Wildcats to have his baseball jersey (#55) retired.
 
During his years on the baseball team, Skaff competed with teammate Ben Geraghty for the team’s starting third base job.  The two would both go on to play in the major leagues and they also eventually squared off against each other as minor league managers.  Skaff and Geraghty also were teammates on the Berwyn team in the Main Line Baseball League, a semipro league formed in 1904 which was one of the earliest such leagues in the country.
 
Following his Villanova playing career, Skaff appeared in the major leagues for the Brooklyn Dodgers during the 1935 season and the Philadelphia Athletics in 1943.  The native of La Crosse, Wis. batted .320 in 75 at-bats in the major leagues, and also played in over 800 games in the minor leagues.  His minor league totals include 833 hits, 148 doubles and 113 home runs to go along with 199 runs scored and 211 runs batted in.
 
Skaff’s best seasons came in 1944-45 when he played for Baltimore of the Double-A International League.  He appeared in 263 games across those two seasons and racked up 261 hits, including 55 home runs.  During the 1945 season, Skaff batted .285 with 38 home runs and 126 RBI in 143 games for Baltimore.
 
After his playing days were over, Skaff managed in the Athletics farm system through 1953 and was a coach for the 1954 Orioles during their first American League season as the reborn St. Louis Browns.  Skaff then joined the Tigers organization as a minor leaguer manager and scout, and he was named to the Tigers major league coaching staff in 1965.
 
During the 1966 season, Skaff was on the Tigers coaching staff and became the acting manager following the All-Star Break after his two immediate predecessors suffered serious and ultimately fatal illnesses.  Skaff guided the Tigers to a 40-39 record over the final 79 games of the 1966 season as an interim manager.  The team’s roster that season included future Hall of Famer Al Kaline, who was an All-Star along with teammates Norm Cash, Bill Freehan, Dick McAuliffe and Denny McLain.  Skaff moved into a scouting role beginning with the 1967 season, and briefly returned to the dugout as a coach under Billy Martin in 1971.  He was still scouting for the Tigers in 1988 when he passed away at the age of 77.