Tom Haller

Thomas Frank Haller (June 23, 1937 – November 26, 2004) was an American professional baseball player, coach, and executive who played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1961 to 1972. Born in Lockport, Illinois, Haller attended the University of Illinois, where he played quarterback for the Illinois Fighting Illini football team and was a member of the Theta Chi fraternity. He signed with the San Francisco Giants as an amateur free agent in 1958, and after three seasons in the minor leagues he made his major league debut with the Giants on April 11, 1961, at the age of 24.

Haller spent the bulk of his career with San Francisco, where he made two of his three All-Star teams. In 1962, working in a platoon system alongside Ed Bailey, he hit .261 with 18 home runs and 55 runs batted in. He was considered one of the top catchers in the National League during the late 1960s. Haller finished his playing career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Detroit Tigers, retiring after the 1972 season.

In 2008, Haller was named part of the inaugural class of inductees into the San Francisco Giants Wall of Fame.