William C. Hitchcock was born July 31, 1916, in Inverness, Alabama. He attended Auburn University where he lettered in football as a halfback and in baseball at shortstop. He went to pro baseball with a contract from the New York Yankees in 1938. He played in the majors until 1953 with New York, Detroit, Washington, St. Louis, Boston and Philadelphia. From 1954 through 1968 he managed, coached and scouted. From 1971 to 1980 Billy was president of the Southern League. He is the brother of the late Jimmy Hitchcock (ASHOF Class of ‘69) and presently resides in Opelika, Alabama.