50 Years Later, Almon Reflects on Journey and No. 1 Overall Selection

It has been 50 years since the San Diego Padres made Brown alum and Rhode Island native Bill Almon the first overall selection in the 1974 Major League Baseball Draft. The fact that Almon was the first overall pick remains unique to the Ivy League, as he is still the only student-athlete in the Ivy League era to be a number one overall selection in one of the four major sports drafts.

"It's very satisfying to be the only number one overall pick in the four major sports," Almon said. "It's a great honor and something I'm quite proud of. I wouldn't say I go out and flaunt it too much, but I'm very proud of it. It was a goal that I had set and with my family, we were able to accomplish it."

Indeed, Almon's life has been shaped not only by his time at Brown and in Major League baseball, but by his family.

Most will remember Almon for his historic selection a half century ago, but something that many do not remember is that it was not Almon's first time being drafted by the Padres. Indeed, there was a chance that he could have gone pro immediately after his graduation from Warwick Veterans High School before he ultimately made the decision to attend Brown.

"I was approached by a number of Major League teams coming out of high school," Almon said. "They wanted to make me a first round pick and they wanted a commitment from me that if they picked me, I would sign. My family and I decided that I would not sign and we informed all the Major League teams that I would instead attend Brown."

Despite the proclamation from Almon, the Padres still went ahead and drafted him in the 11th round (249th overall) of the 1971 MLB Draft. Almon stuck to his plan to attend college, a decision the Padres respected.

"The reason I went to Brown was that it was close to home, and I had an older brother who was there at the time," Almon said. "The scouts had been following me and I was 'in the system', so we felt it was equally important for me to go to as good of an educational school, as well as a baseball school, and between Brown and playing in the Cape Cod League in the summer, we felt strongly that I would get the challenges I needed to improve my game until I became draft eligible again."

Bill Livesey spent three years as the head coach on College Hill from 1969-71 and was the man who recruited Almon, however he left the program right before Almon arrived for his freshman year. George "Woody" Woodworth took over for the first of his nine seasons at the helm in 1972. Bill Almon-posed

"Woody turned out to be a perfect fit for me," Almon said. "I ended up playing for Bill for a year in the Cape Cod League (for the Falmouth Commodores) so that turned out to be good for me as well."

Upon arriving on campus in the fall of 1971, Almon's primary focus was to get situated academically, knowing he would have a full plate as a dual sport athlete. For his first two years on campus, Almon was also member of the basketball program.

"I tried to stay on top of things and enjoy the college life as much as I could," Almon said. "I kept myself busy, with my focus on getting drafted again after my junior year."

Playing on the freshman teams of both programs in 1971-72, Almon was able to stay focused during the winter months while adjusting to life as a student-athlete, concentrating in sociology. His freshman baseball campaign could not have gone much better, batting .536 in 41 at bats.

With baseball season starting just after the conclusion of basketball in March, Almon fulfilled his obligation to both varsity teams in 1973, posting a .352 average as a sophomore. This success was well noted by the Padres, who along with most other major league teams, maintained contact with Almon. After being out of high school for three years, interest picked up steam in the spring of 1974 when Almon was once again draft eligible. He responded by hitting .350 with 10 home runs and 31 runs scored, and stole 20 bases in 21 attempts, thrusting himself into the national spotlight and being named the College Baseball Player of the Year.

One unique situation was that since Almon had previously been picked by the Padres the last time he was eligible, he had to sign a release granting them the right to draft him again, something he viewed as mutually beneficial to both sides.

"We had a very amicable relationship during that period," Almon recalled. "There were some unknowns back then given that there wasn't as much media coverage as today, but they told me a week before that there was a very high probability that they would draft me.

"During that season I had a feeling that I would be going in the first 10 picks," Almon said. "When San Diego started showing more and more interest and I signed the release, I saw there was a real possibility that I would be the No. 1 pick."

Although the attention on the MLB Draft is quite different today, being televised live and all the picks being posted instantly online, Almon still found out about his selection through the media.

"I got a phone call from the Providence Journal telling me that I was drafted No. 1," Almon said. "A short while after that I received a phone call from Bob Fontaine, who was the Padres director of scouting, and he confirmed they made me the No. 1 pick. It was very satisfying. One of my goals going into Brown and playing baseball there and in the Cape was to be a No. 1 pick, and I felt good that I attained that goal."

Almon fondly recalls his time playing for Falmouth, reflecting on the good life experience he had playing on the Cape and how it helped his development. Among his Commodore teammates was future AL Cy Young winner Mike Flanagan.

Almon did not have to wait long to make his Major League debut, starting in Double-A Alexandria (La.) and quickly advancing to Triple-A Hawaii, before making his MLB debut just over two months after being drafted on September 2, 1974 against the Braves at Atlanta Stadium (later Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium). This was partly due to Almon signing a Major League contract as opposed to a Minor League deal, which put him on the 40-man roster right away and stipulated that he would be called up to the big leagues by September 1.

"You were living your dream and playing at a level you had always wanted, but the biggest thing was settling in and realizing that you belonged there," Almon said. "You got used to playing every day and if you had a good day, then great, but if you had a bad day, you must get over it and play again tomorrow. The game was fast-paced, but it didn't take me too long to settle in and I felt comfortable that I'd be able to play and have success at that level.

"My dad was really instrumental in guiding my young career and getting me started, and I had great support from the rest of my family. Woody (Woodworth) I think did a great job in helping me at that point. He gave me a lot of leeway to do things within the game that I felt comfortable doing and challenged me a lot and made me very comfortable."

Almon spent 15 seasons in the Majors, the first six of which came with the Padres. His final nine season were split between the Expos, Mets, A's, White Sox, Pirates and Phillies. After his playing career ended in with Philadelphia in 1988, Almon and his wife Katie, his high school sweetheart, returned home to Rhode Island with their three children.

"I had just spent the last 15 years doing something that I loved to do, and there was a lot of travel and a lot of stress on Katie's side," Almon said. "When I retired, we agreed I would spend a lot more time involved with our family.

"My playing career was probably a lot harder on her than it was on me," Almon said. "It is teamwork, and you must have total support. We really tried to involve our kids in the lifestyle of the baseball and travel. We used to take them on a couple road trips each year so they could experience the country and what I was doing. Without the family support at home, I don't know how people can pull it off. I know it would not have been nearly as easy for me to do it without their support."

A few years later, Brown athletic director Dave Roach reached out to present Almon with an opportunity to get back in the game, offering him a chance to return to campus as the program's next head baseball coach. Outside of coaching his children's Little League teams, Almon had no coaching experience, but talked the idea over wife his wife.

"Being a local school, we decided that I would like to give it a try," Almon said. "In the four years that I was there, I had some really great kids, and it was a really nice experience. At the end of the four years when my contract was up, I decided not to renew because my kids were getting into high school and I was not getting to their games, so I decided to step away and once again concentrate more on my wife and family life."

From 1993-96, the Bears posted a 49-107 overall record. Among those Almon leaned on for help and guidance during this time was his immediate predecessor, fellow Rhode Islander and Major League alum Dave Stenhouse, along with his former coach Woody Woodworth.

"I knew Dave for years and we had interacted throughout my career," Almon said. "He helped me out with the type of kids to recruit, and as far as the coaching goes, was a good influence on me. Woody and I also had some nice conversations about coaching and being at Brown."

Moving on from coaching, Almon got to enjoy the family experience in a different way, joining his family's surgical medical supply company in Rhode Island. Now enjoying retirement, Almon gets to watch his own kids lead the company and meet the challenges of today's world while reflecting on his own journey that began over five decades ago.

"I think anyone who holds some kind of record is figuring that someday it's going to fall," Almon said. "For it to be 50 years later and still (be the only No. 1 overall pick), it's very satisfying. It speaks to the ability that I had and hopefully if the league continues to improve and generate good players like they have, one day someone will get to supplant me."

Bill Almon-College Baseball Hall of Fame Induction — Bill Almon was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in February 2023

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50 Years Later, Almon Reflects on Journey and No. 1 Overall Selection

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