Roger "Doc" Cramer 1905-1990

Roger "Doc" Cramer was born on Amber Street in Beach Haven on July 22, 1905, and moved with his family to Manahawkin in 1906. He earned his nickname by frequently accompanying "old" Doctor Hilliard on his medical rounds in a horse drawn carriage. A dynamic defensive center fielder who always wore number 8, he played more than 19 years of professional baseball with four teams: the Philadelphia Athletics under Connie Mack, the Boston Red Sox, the Washington Senators, and the Detroit Tigers before retiring in 1948. His accomplishments included selection to five All-Star teams, participation in two World Series, with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1931 and a victory with the Detroit Tigers in 1945, a lifetime batting average of .296, the most hits in the American League for seven seasons, twice setting the record of 6 hits for 6 at bats in a nine inning game, and 2705 lifetime hits. He also coached professional baseball from 1951 to 1953. A union carpenter in the off seasons and after retiring from professional baseball, he earned more money as a carpenter than as a professional baseball player. He also helped train the first organized youth baseball players in Stafford Township during the 1950s and gladly signed baseballs for fans without ever charging for an autograph. He was raised in the Letts-Vienna Bakery on Stafford Avenue and at 65 North Main Street in a house that had served as the 1848 Manahawkin School on Beach Avenue and was later moved across the street to become a luncheonette. He raised his children, Elaine and Joan, at 37 Division Street, later lived at 9 Hilliard Drive, the house with tigers that look more like lions, and finally at 85 North Main Street. In 1986, he was selected for the New Jersey Sportswriters Hall of Fame, and Stafford Township later renamed both Doc Cramer Blvd and the Doc Cramer Sports Complex in his honor. In 2004, he was selected for the New Jersey Baseball Hall of Fame.

Manahawkin, New Jersey · United States