Hank Stillman’s baseball career was marked by truly outstanding accomplishments not only as a player, but also as a coach.
He starred on the diamond during one of the greatest eras of Portland High School athletics - the early 1940’s. Today, Henry joins several of his high school teammates in the Hall of Fame -- Bobby Graff, Funzi DePaolo, Lloyd Boynton, Sonny Noe! and Charlie Bennett.
In four years of PH.S. baseball, Henry played in all 53 varsity games with a career batting average over .300.
He was chosen as the Bulldog captain in both 1941 & 1942, and was selected as the All Telegram League second baseman for three consecutive seasons. During Henry’s last three years, Portland High’s record was 34 - 6, they captured two Telegram League titles and narrowly missed a third championship.
Henry’s senior year was one of the finest in telegram League annals. He led the league in batting (.531), in several other offensive categories and in fielding. Although nineteen P H.S. players have won Telegram League batting titles, Hank’s .531 average is the best in Bulldog baseball history and is also one of the highest in the league’s 79 year history.
Hank was also a superb basketball player, leading Portland High to a two year record of 20 - 5. His brilliant play earned him the Western Maine Tournament’s George Vinal MVP Trophy, while sparking the Bulldogs to the 1942 State Championship.
After his freshman year at Colby College, Hank was given a tryout with the Boston Red Sox, but World War Il interrupted his playing days. Following the war, he resumed his standout baseball career, playing for several top notch semi-pro teams in various leagues, including many years in Greater Portland's Twilight league.
As a coach, Hank made Telegram League history when he piloted the 1961 Cheverus High School Stags to the finest record in the league’s history - a perfect 16 - 0 season. Two of Coach Stillman’s players are also Hall of Fame members - Dick Joyce and Paul Sullivan.
Henry married Alice Blake in 1950 and they raised a family of five children - Greg, Peggy, Jim, Paula and Allyson. Hank passed away unexpectedly in 1975.
"The 1961 Cheverus baseball team will be honored. The Stags were the first team in the long history of the Telegram League to go through a 16-game schedule undefeated. The ’61 team has four players and a coach in the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame, four members in the Cheverus Hall of Fame and individuals in three other halls of fame. The team was coached by Hank Stillman.
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Team members were Tom Brown, Bucky Casale, Santo Cimino, Joe Cloutier, Pat Feury, Daniel Ginty, Dick Goss, Gary Higgins, Dick Joyce, Charley Kerrigan, John Kerry, Ray Landry, Stan Liberty, Bob Murphy, Jeddy Newman, Bill O’Brien, Phil O’Sullivan, Paul Sullivan, Tom Thornton and Dick White."
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