Former Bulls Manager Bill Evers to Miss Time Recovering From Surgery

Former Durham Bulls skipper Bill Evers, recently promoted to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, will miss time from his new team due to surgery.

On Friday, March 24, 2006, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays announced bench coach Bill Evers, the long time manager of the Durham Bulls, will be absent from the team for two to three weeks while recovering from surgery to remove a 7-inch tumor in his colon. The tumor was discovered on Wednesday when Evers was at St. Anthony’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, FL for a routine colonoscopy.

Doctors operated later in the day to remove the tumor and determined it to be non-life threatening. Bill is expected to be released from the hospital early next week.

“We’re very grateful that Bill will be back with us soon. We wish him a full and quick recovery.” Devil Rays Manager Joe Maddon said.

Evers, 51, enjoyed remarkable success with the Bulls, amassing seven winning seasons, six playoff appearances, five division titles, four appearances in the Governors’ Cup Finals and back-to-back International League Championships in 2002-2003. His 613 career wins are the most by any manager in the Bulls 103-year history.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Bill for a quick recovery,” Durham Bulls General Manager Mike Birling said. “We certainly look forward to seeing him on the Devil Rays’ bench very soon.”

Evers has spent 30 years in minor league baseball, the past 19 as a manager. Along with Durham, he also managed the Gulf Coast League Rays in 1996 and the St. Petersburg Devil Rays in the Florida State League in 1997. He has compiled a 1,381-1,206 (.534) record, second most wins among active minor league managers behind Tom Kotchman’s 1,401 wins in the Angels’ organization.

Thanks to DBBC’s Matt DeMargel for this capcom story & photo.