FRANCIS MICHAEL SKAFF, Class of 1929

FRANCIS MICHAEL SKAFF
Class of 1929
Inducted in 1987

At the conclusion of his major league playing career, Frank became a minor league baseball manager in the farm systems of both the A’s and the Detroit Tigers. One of the early three sport standouts at Lowell High School, Frank Skaff, was Captain of the football, basketball and baseball teams of coaches Jim Liston and Joe Nolan.

After high school, Frank attended Villanova University, where he was a recipient of scholarships for both football and baseball. Ultimately, he was named to the Villanova University Athletic Hall of Fame.

Upon graduation, Frank signed a professional baseball contract. Over the next several years he led the AAA International League in home runs and runs batted in (1945) and saw major league action with both the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Philadelphia A’s.

While in the Detroit chain he groomed future Tiger stars Norm Cash, Bill Freehan, Dick McAuliffe, and countless others for major league careers. Frank become first base coach for the Tigers in the 1960’s and managed Detroit in 1966, narrowly missing the World Series.

For the past twenty (20) years, Frank has been the number one scout for the Tigers–still an integral part of a successful major league organization.

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