Talbot Wilson; Designed Astrodome

Talbot Wilson, who went into the outfield of the new Houston Astrodome to shag fly balls after players complained that the light was so poor they couldn’t see the baseball, died Saturday of unannounced causes.

Wilson, 74, was a chief designer of the Astrodome.

When the indoor arena opened in 1965 and baseball players complained that the skylights diffused the sunlight so much they couldn’t see fly balls, Wilson checked out the complaints himself before ordering alterations.

“I went out there one afternoon, had someone hit balls to me in the outfield and I tried catching flies,” he said during an interview. “I nearly got killed.”

Wilson and Hermon Lloyd were the chief designers of the Astrodome.

Wilson was also a graduate of Rice Institute and served on the university’s board of governors.