Bill Champion

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1969-1976)

Bill Champion was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1976 for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Milwaukee Brewers, a span of 8 seasons. Across 202 career appearances, he went 34-50 with a 4.69 ERA and 360 strikeouts.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 34–50
ERA 4.69
WHIP 1.53
SO 360
Pitcher PIV -9145.0
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'4" / 188 lb
Born
9/18/1947 in Shelby, NC, USA
Died
1/7/2017 in Shelby, NC, USA
MLB Debut
1969-06-04
Last Game
1976-06-05

Full name: Buford Billy Champion

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Career Pitching Statistics

Bill Champion — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
34 50 202 102 13 3 2 804.1 873 419 64 354 360 4.69 -9145.0

Career ERA 4.69 vs. league average 3.61 across their career seasons — 30.0% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Champion Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1969 PHI NL 5 10 23 20 4 2 1 116.2 130 65 63 70 5.01 3.61 (-39%) -504.3
1970 PHI NL 0 2 7 1 0 0 0 14.0 21 14 10 12 9.00 3.89 (-132%) -763.4
1971 PHI NL 3 5 37 9 0 0 0 108.2 100 53 48 49 4.39 3.47 (-27%) -1860.6
1972 PHI NL 4 14 30 22 2 0 0 132.2 155 75 54 54 5.09 3.26 (-56%) -2131.1
1973 ML4 AL 5 8 37 11 2 0 1 136.1 139 56 62 67 3.70 3.75 (+1%) -827.0
1974 ML4 AL 11 4 31 23 2 0 0 161.2 168 65 49 60 3.62 3.63 (avg) -334.9
1975 ML4 AL 6 6 27 13 3 1 0 110.0 125 72 55 40 5.89 3.71 (-59%) -2610.1
1976 ML4 AL 0 1 10 3 0 0 0 24.1 35 19 13 8 7.03 3.51 (-100%) -113.7
Career · 8 seasons 34 50 202 102 13 3 2 804.1 873 419 354 360 4.69 — -9,145

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Bill Champion — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
204 99 5 14 2 0 1 5 0 2 39 .141 .158 .192 .350 0

Career AVG .141 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — 44.1% below league average.

Career OBP .158 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — 50.7% below league average.

Career SLG .192 vs. league average .370 across their career seasons — 48.1% below league average.

Career OPS .350 vs. league average .691 across their career seasons — 49.3% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Champion — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1969 PHI NL 23 35 4 6 1 0 0 2 0 1 12 .171 — — — — 0.0
1970 PHI NL 7 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
1971 PHI NL 37 27 0 3 1 0 0 2 0 0 9 .111 — — — — 0.0
1972 PHI NL 32 34 1 5 0 0 1 1 0 1 16 .147 — — — — 0.0
1973 ML4 AL 37 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1974 ML4 AL 31 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1975 ML4 AL 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1976 ML4 AL 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 8 seasons 204 99 5 14 2 0 1 5 0 2 39 .141 — — — — 0

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (406 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Bill Champion — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home101451300.067
Away1035441115.204

Pitching — Home / Away

Bill Champion — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home100411.14381941551804.24
Away102393.04352251991805.15

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Bill Champion — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1976-06-05 MILKCR L 2.0655110
1976-06-01 MILDET — 6.11044210
1976-05-23 MILCLE — 2.1433100
1976-05-19 MILBAL — 2.2222420
1976-05-13 MILBAL — 3.1211100
1976-05-08 MILMIN — 0.2111110
1976-05-01 MILMIN — 1.1422000
1976-04-20 MILKCR — 3.1211210
1976-04-18 MILTEX — 1.2310120
1976-04-10 MILNYY — 0.2100000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bill Champion — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 202 102 64 137 9 13

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bill Champion — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1969 PHI P 23 20 10 22 1 2
1970 PHI P 7 1 0 3 0 0
1971 PHI P 37 9 12 19 1 1
1972 PHI P 30 22 9 22 1 2
1973 ML4 P 37 11 7 30 1 4
1974 ML4 P 31 23 16 16 3 2
1975 ML4 P 27 13 8 19 2 2
1976 ML4 P 10 3 2 6 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bill Champion — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 202

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Bill Champion (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Dave Lemanczyk
    37-63, 4.62 ERA
  2. 97
    Chuck Rainey
    43-35, 4.50 ERA
  3. 94
    Roy Roberts
    34-45, 4.66 ERA
  4. 91
    Karl Drews
    44-53, 4.76 ERA
  5. 86
    George Mitchell
    48-45, 4.50 ERA
  6. 86
    Don Carrithers
    28-32, 4.45 ERA

Bill Champion: the record in brief

Bill Champion's major league career runs from a debut on June 4, 1969 to a final game on June 5, 1976. By club, Champion's seasons break down as the Philadelphia Phillies (1969 through 1972) and the Milwaukee Brewers (1973 to 1976). Born on September 18, 1947, in Shelby, NC, USA, Champion is listed as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. Size on record: 188 pounds on a 6-foot-4 frame. The bio records the death on January 7, 2017, in Shelby, NC, USA. The bio lists the given name Buford Billy.

Champion's career pitching line is 34 wins, 50 losses and a 4.69 ERA over 202 appearances. The totals include 360 strikeouts and 13 complete games. The league ERA over Champion's seasons was 3.61, so the 4.69 figure ran 30.0% worse than average. The best win total was 11, in 1974. Champion struck out 70 batters in 1969, a career high. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 3.62 in 1974, when the league's was 3.63.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Champion

What years did Bill Champion play?
Bill Champion played in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1976.
Was Bill Champion a pitcher?
Yes. Bill Champion pitched in the major leagues, recording 34 wins and 360 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Bill Champion hit?
Bill Champion hit 1 career home run with 14 hits.
What teams did Bill Champion play for?
Bill Champion played for 2 teams: the Philadelphia Phillies (1969–1972) and the Milwaukee Brewers (1973–1976).
What were Bill Champion's career stats?
In 202 games, Bill Champion went 34-50 with a 4.69 ERA, 360 strikeouts, 804.1 innings pitched, and 2 saves.
What position did Bill Champion play?
Bill Champion played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Bill Champion and how much did he weigh?
Bill Champion was listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 188 pounds.
What was Bill Champion's career ERA?
Bill Champion finished with a 4.69 career ERA, going 34-50 with 360 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Bill Champion have?
Bill Champion recorded 360 career strikeouts.
Is Bill Champion in the Hall of Fame?
No. Bill Champion has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.