Marvin Miller
| Birthdate | 04/14/1917 |
| Death Date | 11/7/2012 |
| Debut Year | 1966 |
| Year of Induction | 2020 |
| Teams | MLBPAA |
| Position | Executive |
Red Barber once said, “Marvin Miller, along with Babe Ruth & Jackie Robinson, is one of the two or three most important men in baseball history.”
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Marvin Miller transformed the players' union into one of the most power in the country
Marvin Miller transformed the players' union into one of the most power in the country
Marvin Miller revolutionized the way players are treated and paid. He fought hard to protect the players and increase their well being.
When Miller started as the chief of the MLB Players’ Association in 1966, the average player salary was $19,000. By the time he left the post in 1982, that figure rose to nearly a quarter of a million dollars.
Miller made the MLBPA one of the strongest unions in the country. In 1968, he negotiated the first collective bargaining agreement. It increased the minimum salary from $7,000 to $10,000 – a 43% increase. Players were overjoyed.
Miller repeatedly fought – and won – against team owners. During his reign free agency was ushered in. The players gained incredible power compared to the era before Miller worked for them.
Under Miller’s guidance, the MLBPA provided a roadmap for players’ unions in other sports. He transformed the way players were viewed. Instead of being employees of team, they were seen as having special talents deemed valuable to society.
“I take a great deal of satisfaction in what we accomplished,” Miller said. “The changes that needed to be made were so fundamental and basic that it didn’t take a rocket scientist to say what needed to be changed.”
In retirement, Miller became the focus of a Hall of Fame debate. Some saw his contribution as fundamentally improving the players’ plight. Owners and baseball executives who fought him believed his work ruined the game.
In 2020 he was elected to the Hall of Fame, eight years after his death.
Despite high demand from collectors and what must be a great availability of his signature, Miller letters are not readily available on the market.
Shown here is a letter signed in his capacity as union chief.
The players made a major statement with their strike in 1972
The players made a major statement with their strike in 1972
Marvin Miller changed the face of not only baseball, but all of professional sports. As Executive Director of the Major League Baseball Players Association from 1966-1982 his fight helped raise the average player salary more than 1,000%.
A turning point for the players occurred in 1972. In early April the players voted to strike. It lasted 13 days. At the conclusion, the players’ gains were only moderate. However, they realized the power they wielded when united behind the MLBPA. The ’72 strike emboldened the players and set the state for the great gains ahead.
In this letter dated May, 1972 Miller blasts Atlanta Journal sports editor Furman Bisher. Written just one month after the settlement of a strike, the letter reads in part, “I am sure you write such nonsense with tongue in cheek.”
The second page of the letter shown in the next image features more of the same along with the signature of Miller.
Miller was a thorn in the owners' side during his entire tenure
Miller was a thorn in the owners' side during his entire tenure
Marvin Miller proceeds to blast sportswriter Furman Bisher in the second page of the letter. “…you remind me of the man who says, ‘don’t confuse me with the facts, I prefer my own prejudices’.”
Miller goes on to detail the financial gains made during the strike, specifically on players’ pensions.
The Hall of Famer was widely popular within the MLBPA. Among owners he was seen as a necessary evil.
At the bottom of the letter is Miller’s signature.
