As coach of the College of Baltimore soccer team. Ermer is on the far right of the second row.
Ermer in his Marines baseball uniform.
With the Washington Senators. (his good friend Ellis Clary is on the left)
Ermer speaks often of his late friend, Ellis Clary who played for Ermer and later coached with him.
A photo of Ermer's young family. His wife, Gloria, who passed away about five years ago, was Miss Tennessee in 1952 and had a beautiful voice. His son, David, lives in Atlanta; his other son is deceased.
With Lookouts Spring Training in Florida.
Hall of Famer, Harmon Killebrew, played for Ermer in Chattanooga.
Selling Cokes with Joe Engel at Engel Stadium.
Ermer shouts instructions from the Lookouts dugout.
Cal Ermer spent 17 off-seasons managing in the Winter Leagues.
With his friend, the late Jim Lemon.
Ermer managed the Twins Triple-A club, Denver (Pacific Coast), in 1965-66-67
On June 9, 1967, he replaced Sam Mele as skipper of Minnesota. The Twins were in sixth place when he took over and he led the team to a tie for second place, just one game behind Boston.
In 1968 Minnesota had a number of injuries and dropped to seventh. Ermer was fired at the end of the season and replaced by Billy Martin. His major league managerial record was 145-129, .529.
Was a coach for Milwaukee in 1970-71. Ermer managed the Reading Phillies in 1973, winning the Eastern League title; Tacoma (Pacific Coast) for the Twins 1974-75-76, then was an Oakland coach in 1977.
From 1978-85 he managed Minnesota’s AAA club at Toledo (International). He frequently laughs when he refers to his "eight year sentence in Toledo."
A clipping from the Toledo Blade. Ermer chuckles when he says he was not about to hit the umpire.
Ermer with former player, Sal Butera, in 2005.
photo by Tim Evearitt
Ermer scouting for the Twins at AT&T Field (then BellSouth) in 2004.
photo by Tim Evearitt
In his final days, Ermer did his scouting in the press box that bears his name.
photo by Tim Evearitt
Chattanooga has lost a great man. Cal Ermer, Jr. (85) passed away Saturday morning following a short illness.
There will be a visitation Tuesday, and the funeral service will be Wednesday at First Christian Church. (Details later) A Marine veteran, Ermer will be buried at the National Cemetery.
Ermer managed the Lookouts from 1952-1957. The Chattanooga Lookouts dedicated the AT&T Field Press Box to Ermer last August.
Born Calvin Coolidge Ermer on November 10, 1923 in Baltimore, Maryland, he was known as much for his ability to play soccer as baseball. For seven years, he coached the College of Baltimore’s soccer team. Former Atlanta Braves general manager, John Schuerholz (also a Baltimore native), recalls that Ermer played soccer against his uncle.
Ermer recalls that his parents were concerned when he chose baseball because they didn’t think he could make a good living. He joined the U.S. Marines where he spent his time playing for their team and when he came out went into professional baseball.
At age 27, he managed the Charlotte Hornets in his last season as an active player. He hit .297 and led the league’s second basemen in fielding (.971) earning him a callup to the Washington Senators at the end of the 1947 season.
In the only game he played, Ermer went 0-for-3. He recalls that he should have finished 1-for-3. There was a runner at first and two outs when Ermer hit a grounder that he would have beaten out at first. Instead, the ball was thrown to second to force out the runner and Ermer was safe at first on a fielder’s choice. Other than that, he never played above Class A.
But Ermer was not destined to play, he was destined to manage.
He spent most of his life in baseball with the Minnesota Twins (formerly Washington Senators). He managed the Chattanooga Lookouts from 1952-1957 in the Southern Association. He married his wife, Gloria, in 1952 and made Chattanooga his home.
As a minor league pilot, Ermer won 1,906 games, losing 1,728 (.524) over 26 seasons.
Most of the photos below were shared by Ermer.