Background
He was the son of Charles and Dorothy McNamara, and moved with the family to Long Beach, California, where he graduated from Compton High School in 1935.
He was the son of Charles and Dorothy McNamara, and moved with the family to Long Beach, California, where he graduated from Compton High School in 1935.
Compton High School.
Listed at 5"10", 170 pounds, He batted right-handed. Born in Denver, Colorado, McNamara was one of many baseball players whose professional career was interrupted during World World War World War II A 4.0 student, he lettered in football, basketball, baseball and track. He then went to the University of California at Berkeley on a baseball scholarship and graduated in 1939.
McNamara debuted with the Athletics of Connie Mack in 1939.
In his first major league at-bat, against the New York Yankees, he drilled a single off Lefty Gomez at Yankee Stadium. Overall, he appeared in nine games, batting a.222 average (2-for-9) with one double and three runs batted in, including a walk and a strikeout with no home runs.
He also played three minor league seasons, being managed by Rogers Hornsby and Pepper Martin, among others Following his baseball career, McNamara worked for Northrop Corporation.
He rose through the accounting and finance ranks and retired as a Corporate Officer, Senior Vice-President of Finance.
He widowed in 2006. McNamara died in Rancho Bernardo, California, at the age of 94. At the time of his death he was recognized as the ninth oldest living major league player.