Alma Ziegler
A compact powerhouse of the AAGPBL, she switched from pitching to become one of the league's most reliable and slick-fielding second basemen.
1918–2005 (age 87)·Baseball player·Birthday: January 9·The Greatest Generation
Biography
At just five-foot-three, Alma Ziegler proved that dynamite came in small packages. She entered the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League as a pitcher for the Milwaukee Chicks in 1944, immediately helping them clinch the championship in their inaugural season. But her true legacy was forged after a strategic move to second base, where her quick reflexes, sure hands, and strategic mind made her a defensive anchor. Ziegler became a fan favorite for her consistent, heads-up play, earning All-Star selections and setting league records for double plays. Her career spanned the league's heyday, and she played with a gritty consistency that embodied the professional spirit of the women who kept baseball alive during the war years. After the league folded, she remained a passionate ambassador for the game, her story later celebrated as part of its rediscovered history.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Alma was born in 1918, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alma Was Born
The biggest hits of 1918
Alma's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1918Born
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1923Started school
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1931Became a teenager
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1934Could drive
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1936Could vote
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1939Turned 21
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1948Turned 30
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1958Turned 40
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 50
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 60
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 70
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 80
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2005Died at 87
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
Key Achievements
- Won the AAGPBL championship in her rookie season (1944) with the Milwaukee Chicks.
- Selected as an AAGPBL All-Star three times (1946, 1949, 1950).
- Set a league record for most double plays turned by a second baseman in a single season.
Did You Know?
She was originally a softball player in California before being recruited for the AAGPBL.
After baseball, she worked for nearly three decades in the accounting department of the Los Angeles Times.
Her baseball glove is part of the permanent collection of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
“A good curveball is a question most batters can't answer.”
