Ex-Detroit Tiger Richie Hebner dug graves for 35 years: ‘Guess I like working 9 with stiffs’-July 13, 2020

How we remember him

The grit and determination of a local athlete often find expression in more than one arena, and for Richie Hebner, a proud son of Norwood, Massachusetts, his story is carved as much from New England winter ice and cemetery soil as it is from the diamonds of Major League Baseball. On Tuesday, August 25, 1981, at Tiger Stadium, a moment captured by photographer Alan Kamuda of the Detroit Free Press showed Tigers first baseman Richie Hebner reacting strongly when he heard the call by umpire Bill Kunkel, who ruled Royals runner Willie Wilson safe in the fifth inning. This competitive fire was nothing new for the hard-nosed, slugging third and first baseman. He had been acquired by the Detroit Tigers on Halloween, October 31, 1979, from the New York Mets in a trade that sent Phil Mankowski and Jerry Morales to New York. Richie Hebner quickly established himself as a certified fan favorite in Detroit when he batted .290 with 12 homers and 82 RBIs during his injury-shortened 1980 season.

Long before donning the uniform of the Detroit Tigers, Richie Hebner was faced with a pivotal choice between professional sports paths. As an 18-year-old sports standout in his hometown of Norwood, Massachusetts, many local residents wanted him to pursue hockey. He was an incredibly talented player on the ice, later reflecting, “I was actually a better hockey player than baseball player and a lot of people in my hometown (Norwood, Massachusetts) were upset because they wanted me to play hockey. To this day, my biggest thrill in sports was scoring the winning goal against our high school archrival Walpole in a 1-0 victory.” He drew serious interest from the professional ranks, turning down a contract opportunity with the Boston Bruins, while the Detroit Red Wings were also interested. However, when the Pittsburgh Pirates selected him as the 15th overall pick in the 1966 amateur draft, the financial incentive altered his trajectory. “I could have signed with the Bruins, and the Red Wings were also interested but when I was picked 15th overall by the Pirates, I was offered more money. I graduated from high school in ’66 and if you would have told me that I would walk into Forbes Field in September of ’68 and play with Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell and Bill Mazeroski, I would have said ‘What the hell am I doing there?’ I did skate with the Penguins at the Igloo for a couple of offseasons and it was a lot of fun. Jimmy Rutherford was the goalie and Eddie Shack was there. I would have liked to have seen what I could have done in hockey.”

His journey through the big leagues began with memorable milestones against legendary figures. Recalling his first major league hit, Richie Hebner noted, “My first hit was a single off Bob Gibson in St. Louis. He was a mean son of a gun but a great pitcher. I didn’t make a big deal out of it and had the ball thrown into the dugout. I didn’t want to get hit in the head the next time up. He was a very intimidating pitcher. Today, I see some guys hit a home run and they take their time leaving home plate and running the bases. If they were playing against Gibson, Tom Seaver, or Juan Marichal, they might end up in intensive care after their next at bat. It’s a friendly game now. ‘You don’t hurt me, I don’t hurt you.’ We never used to talk to the opposing team and now you see guys talking around the batting cage like it’s a fricking reunion.”

During his nine seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he belonged to a powerhouse squad that captured five division titles from 1970 to 1975. His crucial home runs against the San Francisco Giants pitchers Juan Marichal and Gaylord Perry in the 1971 National League Championship Series helped Pittsburgh win the pennant as part of their ultimate championship push. After his lengthy tenure in Pittsburgh, he spent two seasons playing in Philadelphia and one season with the New York Mets before his trade to Detroit. The call that sent him to the Detroit Tigers arrived unexpectedly on Halloween while he was at home. “I was carving a pumpkin on Halloween with my two daughters and my wife says ‘There’s a guy named Sparky on the phone for you.’ I didn’t know if it was a legit call or not. It was Sparky Anderson and he said ‘Welcome to Detroit.’ I really enjoyed Detroit. The Tigers had a lot of good guys and it was a fun team to play with. I knew that team was going to win a World Series with (Alan) Trammell and (Lou) Whitaker, Jack Morris, (Kirk) Gibson, (Lance) Parrish, and Tommy Brookens. I was really happy for them. I was with the Cubs in ’84 and we were up 2 games to 0 on the Padres in the NLCS and then we lose three straight. Three days later, I’m home digging graves at my father’s cemetery. It would have been great to have played in a World Series at Wrigley Field and Tiger Stadium. I would have liked to have stayed with the Tigers, but sometimes things don’t work out the way you would like them to.”

Playing under the legendary Sparky Anderson left a lasting impression on Richie Hebner. He respected the no-nonsense managerial style of that era, stating, “Sparky was a no B.S. guy. Don’t be a dog. If you are, you don’t play. That’s the way it should be. Now it’s almost impossible to manage in the big leagues. Guys like Sparky Anderson, Danny Murtaugh, and Dick Williams could never manage in the big leagues now. A lot of these guys need to keep hearing how good they are, and you have to kiss their fannies because some are making $15 million to $20 million a year. Just put your uniform on, play hard for three hours and see what happens.”

The 1980 season with the Detroit Tigers stood out as a personal high-water mark, despite ending in misfortune. “If I was ever going to be selected to the All-Star Game, which I wasn’t, that would have been the year. At the break, I was hitting .301 with 60 RBIs. In late August I got hurt in Minneapolis. It’s that old saying, ‘He who hesitates, loses.’ I was going to slide, then I didn’t want to, then I did. I sprained my ankle and it went up like a balloon. I would have been better off breaking it.” Because of that severe ankle injury, he missed 32 of the final 40 games of the season.

His time with the Detroit Tigers came to an end the following year. To make room for rookie third baseman Howard Johnson, Richie Hebner, who despite hitting .274 in 68 games with eight homers while platooning at first base with Enos Cabell, was sold back to the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 16, 1982. Following the 1983 season, he signed as a free agent with the Chicago Cubs, where he eventually finished his active playing career in 1985. After retirement, he remained in the game, serving as the hitting coach for the Boston Red Sox from 1989 to 1991 and the Philadelphia Phillies in 2001, alongside coaching 26 seasons in the minor leagues, including a stint with the Buffalo Bisons.

Throughout his entire 49-year baseball career, Richie Hebner maintained a wholly unique offseason profession: digging graves. “I started digging graves as a high school sophomore for my father, who managed a couple of cemeteries. He started paying me $35 a grave and I did it for 35 years. It was pocket money and was good exercise, but we also did it when the ground was frozen and it was snowing and sleeting. Let me tell you, I buried a lot of people over the years. I’d go back to spring training and guys would ask, ‘You really bury people?’ Some guys got the heebie jeebies. I said, ‘Yeah, they don’t move. You dig a hole, you put ’em in, fill it back up, and go home.’ This one time a grieving widow fell into the hole and she got stuck. My brother Dennis says to the rabbi, ‘Let’s leave her there and give the family a two-for-one special.’ I don’t think that went over too big.”

In addition to his 35 years of manual grave digging, he expanded into driving a hearse for local funeral homes. “A friend of mine owns a couple of funeral homes and I have been driving a hearse for about 20 years now. I’ve got my white shirt and tie and suit, drive a Cadillac, and get $125 for three hours of work. Not bad. I’ve had some people come up to me and ask, ‘Are you Richie Hebner?’ I can see in their faces that they’re thinking, ‘What in the hell is he doing working at a funeral?’ I guess I like working with stiffs. I’ve had an interesting career. Forty-nine years in baseball, 35 years digging graves and 20 years driving a hearse. This one time, I am driving the hearse and going to the cemetery and my phone rings. It’s the director of Baltimore’s farm system and he tells me they are letting me go. So, I hang up, look in the back and say, ‘You think you’re having a bad day, I just got shit-canned.'”

As time marched on, his perspective on modern baseball grew more detached. “To be honest with you, I watch very little baseball. I last coached for the Buffalo Bisons three years ago and I don’t miss it. You look at the clock, it’s 10 p.m. and they’re in the fifth inning. Some of these games, it’s like watching paint dry. They all step out of the box, and mess with their gloves and then five relief pitchers come into the game. There are millions of people who are hurting now and can’t pay their rent and I’m going to listen to a guy whining making $15 million a year, whining and bitching about how many games they are going to play this year? I could care less if they ever come back.”

During the health crisis, his family’s connection to essential service hit close to home. “My wife and daughters are practicing nurses and it has been tough these last few months because you worry that they could get the virus. I’ve had a lot of COVID-19 funerals. It’s sad because there are a limited number of people at the funeral home. I’m finding that a lot of people won’t come to the funeral home but there will be more at the cemetery. It’s like there’s no closure and it’s tough on the families.” Captured in a photograph by Katherine Boone on July 9, 2020, Richie Hebner stood as a man content with his life’s uncommon path. Today at 72, he has been married 41 years to Patricia Hebner. The couple live in Walpole, Massachusetts, and have four children and five grandchildren. He continues to drive a hearse for two funeral homes, noting, “I’m not looking to retire yet because I don’t like sitting on my ass. You retire and next thing you know, you are six feet in the ground. I’m an average guy who likes to have fun and not cause trouble. You only go around once in this world, so why make enemies?”