Carl Merrill graduated from Brunswick High School in 1962. He attended the University of Maine at Orono, playing catcher for the baseball team and also playing football. Carl played minor league baseball until an injury cut short his playing career in 1971. In 1978, he was hired to manage a minor league team in the Eastern League, the West Haven Yankees, which began his long career as a professional baseball team manager. Carl served as manager of the New York Yankees in 1990 and 1991.
Carl was the first BASAF scholarship recipient to independently repay all of the funds he had been awarded. The BASAF Board of Directors established this award in 1967 to honor Carl’s actions, so that other recipients might be inspired to also give back to BASAF.
Here are some clips from our “Make A Difference” film about the Carl “Stump” Merrill fund: