El Tappe

American baseball player and coach (1927 1998)

Elvin Walter Tappe (May 21, 1927 – October 10, 1998) was an American professional baseball player, a catcher for the Chicago Cubs between 1954 and 1962, who was best known as a member of Philip K. Wrigley's College of Coaches during the 1961 and seasons.

Tappe was a native and lifelong resident of Quincy, Illinois, where he attended high school and Quincy University. His professional baseball career began in 1947 with the Henderson Oilers, an unaffiliated team in the Class C Lone Star League. In 1950, he was acquired by the New York Yankees' organization and then drafted by the Cubs two seasons later. Listed as 5 feet (2 m) tall and , he threw and batted right handed. Tappe made his major league debut on April 24, 1954, as a late inning defensive replacement for Chicago catcher Joe Garagiola, and would appear in 145 games for the Cubs over all or parts of six seasons during the next nine years. Described as a "weak hitter, without power,"

Tappe ended 1961 as head coach and began 1962 in that role. Since he notched a 42–54 record in 1961—by far the best of the four who led the club—it was generally believed that he would remain head coach as long as the Cubs were playing well. Additionally, it was obvious he was Wrigley's favorite. However, the Cubs stumbled to a 4–16 start in 1962, and he was replaced by Klein. The 1962 head coaching assignment ended Tappe's managerial career with a win–loss record of 46–70–1 (.397). He returned to his backup catcher role for what would be his last year as a player, getting into 26 games. He then remained with the Cubs for some years afterward as a coach, minor league manager and scout.

Tappe (whose surname rhymed with "happy") was the son of Walter Emil Tappe and Marie Sophia (née Bronstine) Tappe. He had a twin brother, Melvin Tappe (1927–1992), who was a minor league pitcher. Tappe ran a sporting goods store after retiring from baseball. He died in Quincy from cancer at age 71.