Rollie Sheldon

Roland Frank Sheldon was born on 17 December 1936 in Putnam, Connecticut, to Frank and Elsie Sheldon, and was associated with nearby Woodstock, where he attended Woodstock Academy. After high school he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and was honorably discharged in autumn 1958. He played military baseball and basketball in Germany, then studied briefly at Texas A&M before transferring to the University of Connecticut. In 1959-60 he averaged 13.5 points for UConn basketball and went 3-1 as a Huskies pitcher that spring.

Signed by the New York Yankees in June 1960, Sheldon dominated Class D Auburn at 15-1 and made the 1961 major-league club under manager Ralph Houk. As a rookie he won 11 games with consecutive July shutouts and belonged to the World Series champions, though unused in the Series. He pitched for the 1962 champions as well, then helped the 1964 pennant club after a minor-league stretch and threw hitless relief in Games 1 and 7 of the 1964 World Series. Traded to the Kansas City Athletics in 1965, he made 29 starts, then finished 1966 with the Boston Red Sox. Overall he was 38-36 with a 4.09 ERA, 17 complete games, four shutouts and 371 strikeouts in 160 games (101 starts). Minor-league seasons continued into 1970.

Sheldon later worked for Allstate Insurance until retiring in 1992 and lived in Lee's Summit, Missouri. He enjoyed fishing and golf and pitched into his forties on an overhand softball team with other former big-leaguers. He was preceded in death by his parents and his first wife, Wanda Holland. Survivors named in his family notice include his wife Shirley Ann Denton Brants, daughter Ronda Sheldon, daughter Lori Setley, stepsons Cliff and David Brants, and grandchildren.

Rollie Sheldon died on Monday, 31 August 2026, in Lee's Summit, Missouri, at the age of 89. His family's Kansas City Star obituary, published in early September 2026, said that per his wish he would be cremated and that a private family service would take place later. No cause of death was publicly disclosed. Baseball outlets including RIP Baseball noted his place on the early-1960s Yankees championship clubs.

Sheldon is remembered as a late-blooming Air Force and UConn athlete who jumped from Class D to the 1961 Yankees and contributed to consecutive championship seasons, then pitched in the 1964 World Series. In interviews for the book Sixty-One he called being part of that 1961 team a dream when everything was perfect. His career bridge from Yankees glory to Athletics and Red Sox seasons, and a long Lee's Summit retirement, rounded a life in baseball and community work.