Former major league baseball player Frank "Pig" House dies at 75

Associated Press

Posted on Wed, Mar. 16, 2005

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Frank "Pig" House, a catcher who signed with the Detroit Tigers right out of high school and played in the major leagues for 10 years before turning to Alabama's political arena, has died at 75.

House, who died Sunday, was buried Wednesday at Cedar Hill cemetery.

A left-handed hitter who was a multi-sport star at Hueytown High School, House signed with Detroit in 1948 for one of the biggest bonuses of the time - $75,000 and two automobiles, according to news reports. He was the Tigers' primary catcher for four seasons in the early 1950s, with his best season in 1955 when he hit .259 with 15 homers and 53 RBIs.

In 10 years with the Tigers, Kansas City and Cincinnati, he hit .248 with 47 home runs and 235 RBIs.

House later served in the Alabama Legislature, where he was instrumental in the creation of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1967.

"He set the tone for what the Hall of Fame would be," said Bill Legg, executive director of the hall.

House was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975 and was honored in 2004 when the hall instituted the Frank "Pig" House Award to recognize contributors to state sports.

Along with serving in the legislature, he held posts in state government in Montgomery.

Survivors include a daughter, Staci House Thompson, and two grandchildren.