Milt Graff spent one season as a player in the major leagues.

The Saxonburg native and 1949 Butler graduate batted .181 in 155 at bats as a 26-year-old second baseman with the Kansas City Athletics in 1957.

That doesn't begin to describe his baseball career.

Graff, who died last month in Texas at age 74, served as assistant controller, traveling secretary, director of stadium operations, scouting director and infield coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates at various times from 1964 to 1985.

He was the infield coach during Chuck Tanner's final year as Pirates manager in 1985.

"I loved the guy. He could do anything," Tanner said. "He listened to everybody and understood everybody.

"Milt Graff knew how to communicate with people. That's why he was so good at so many jobs in baseball."

He was a good coach, too. Tanner made Graff part of his coaching staff to help him qualify for his pension.

"I helped him out," Tanner admitted. "But Milt was a great coach. Had I stayed on in Pittsburgh, I was bringing him back.

"Nobody's been more versatile in baseball, before or since."

Patti Mistick, the Pirates' current director of office services, has been with the organization for 35 years. Graff was her first boss.

"I started here in 1970 and Milt was director of stadium operations when we moved into Three Rivers Stadium," Mistick said. "He was so well-respected because he could do so many different things.

"He was a fair, honest man who wouldn't say anything bad about anybody."

"Baseball needs more people like Milt Graff," agreed retired Pirates media relations director Sally O'Leary agreed. "No matter what job he had, he did it well and he did it with a smile on his face.

"He even served on the ground crew for a while at Three Rivers Stadium. Milt had a great sense of humor and got along with everybody."

While serving as a scout for the Pirates, he convinced the club to sign slugging outfielder Jay Buhner.

"Milt was afraid we were gonna lose Buhner," Tanner recalled. "He told me that if we didn't sign him in the next day or so, the kid was going to play college baseball instead.

"We flew down to Houston and got a deal done. And Jay Buhner went on to an all-star career in the major leagues. Milt knew talent."

He knew how to play baseball, too. Joe Lang was a catcher and teammate of Graff's for years on a Saxonburg summer team.

"Milt was a helluva ballplayer and so were his brothers," Lang said. "They played baseball all the time. They'd play until they weren't able to walk anymore.

"Milt played shortstop for us, and when the Pirates signed him, they moved him to second base. He played second base and Bill Mazeroski played shortstop when they were teammates in the minor leagues.

"(Former Pirates general manager) Branch Rickey called down there one day and told the manager to switch the two around - now Mazeroski's in the Hall of Fame."

And Graff had a one-year big league career that could have been longer - and better.

"He was the best fielder I've ever seen," Lang said. "There were a few who could field as well as him - like Mazeroski - but nobody could field better than him.

"Milt had a collision with the right fielder while they were trying to catch a pop fly one day. Milt broke his leg on that play and was never the same after that. It ended his career."

While with Kansas City in 1957, Graff often was used as a defensive replacement late in games.

Frank Comer played baseball with Graff for a decade or more in Saxonburg. He remembers him as an emotional player.

"We won a lot of championships," Comer said. "It didn't matter. Milt would cry if we lost. He was such a competitor, such a leader on the field.

"I never knew anybody who hated to lose as much as he did."

An educated man as well, Graff graduated from Lycoming College in Williamsport with an accounting degree in 1961.

He was recognized by the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants that year for his scholastic record and demonstration of leadership.

Graff joined the Pirates' front office in 1964.

"He was our assistant controller of finance and kept the books," O'Leary said. "Combine his intelligence with his personality and drive - That man could do anything and wound up doing everything."