Cloyd Victor Boyer Jr. was born on  September 1, 1927 in Alba, Missouri. He played for the Cardinals from 1949-1952 and then the Kansas City Athletics in 1955.  He has a career record of 20-23 with a 4.73 ERA and has fanned 198 batters in just over 395 innings. He completed 13 gmes with three shutouts and two saves in his career.

After his playing career, Boyer became a scout, minor league pitching instructor and major league pitching coach—spending much of his time in the New York Yankees organization. He was the pitching coach during Bobby Cox’s first term as manager of the Atlanta Braves. Boyer is credited with helping Fritz Peterson become a star pitcher.