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Fannin County Witness to History: Roy McMillan
By Margo McCutcheon, Educator, Sam Rayburn House SHS
Aug 18, 2026
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Fannin County Witnesses to History

A Joint Project of the Sam Rayburn House Historic Site and the Fannin County Historical Commission

Celebrating America 250 with Spotlights of Fannin County Citizens Who Participated In or Witnessed Historical Events

Fannin County, Texas -- Roy David McMillan, one of Hazel Curtis and Robert Mathew McMillan’s five children, was born in Fannin County, TX, on July 17, 1929. At Bonham High School, he played football, tennis, basketball, and track, and played softball on a city team that won a city championship in 1946. Bonham High did not have a baseball team at the time.

After attending Texas A&M University for one semester, he returned to Bonham and attended a Cincinnati Reds try-out camp in McKinney, TX, in 1947.  He played minor league baseball and then made his major league debut as a shortstop with the Cincinnati Reds on April 16, 1951 at the age of 21. 

Roy became known for his defensive play. He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated on September 9, 1957, and one of his many nicknames was “Mr. Shortstop.” He played for the Reds until 1961.

From 1961–1964, he played for the Milwaukee Braves and then the New York Mets from 1964–1966. Roy then pursued a coaching career in the minor leagues until 1970 when he coached with the Milwaukee Brewers from 1970–1972 and the Mets from 1973–1976, and he briefly managed both teams while he coached them. He continued managing minor league teams for the Minnesota Twins from 1977–1980 before becoming a scout in Texas for the Montreal Expos from 1982–1997.  Roy was involved with baseball for 50 years.

He received three Gold Gloves and played in two All Star games during his career. He was a member of the Professional Baseball Players Association and an inductee to the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame, the Ohio Baseball Hall of Fame and the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame. He married Jody Lawrence on October 26, 1952, and the couple had three children. Roy passed away from a heart attack in Bonham on November 2, 1997, and is buried in Willow Wild Cemetery.

According to Roy’s obituary in the Dallas Morning News, “a sportswriter called him an example of an ‘all-field, no-hit player.’  Steve Pate wrote that despite his low batting average "if fielding a baseball is an art, McMillan was a Picasso."  At the time of his death, he held the Reds' team record for the shortstop with the most double plays, 129 in 1954, in a single season.

More Information on his remarkable career is at the Handbook of Texas Online.  Information was also obtained from the Fannin Co., Texas GenWeb ( txfannin.org ) and other online sources. The Sam Rayburn House SHS featured Roy McMillan at their 2024 Cemetery Willow Wild Walking Tour, An Athletic Cemetery Walk. For a copy of the 2024 Cemetery Walking Tour guide or for other information, contact the Sam Rayburn House at (903) 583-5558 or email Margo.McCutcheon@thc.texas.gov .