On This Date: Ex-College Cagers Make Their Mark on September 20 MLB Games

Extra! Extra! Read all about memorable major league baseball achievements and moments involving former college basketball players! Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Nonetheless, numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

A couple of former small-college hoopers from Virginia - Al Bumbry (Virginia State) and Monte Weaver (Emory Weaver) - made A.L. news on this date. Ditto ex-Pasadena City CA community college hoopers Darrell Evans and Irv Noren. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a September 20 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

SEPTEMBER 20

• Cincinnati Reds CF Ethan Allen (Cincinnati basketball letterman in 1924-25 and 1925-26) contributed four hits against the Boston Braves in the nightcap of a 1928 doubleheader.

• Baltimore Orioles CF Al Bumbry (Virginia State's runner-up in scoring with 16.7 ppg as freshman in 1964-65) delivered three doubles against the Boston Red Sox in a 1984 game.

• Baltimore Orioles RF Angelo Dagres (averaged 6 ppg for Rhode Island in 1954-55) provided a hit and scored a run in both ends of a 1955 twinbill sweep against the Boston Red Sox.

• Detroit Tigers 1B Darrell Evans (member of Jerry Tarkanian-coached Pasadena City CA club winning 1967 state community college crown) launched his 400th career homer in 1988.

• Baltimore Orioles bonus baby C Tom Gastall (hoops captain of Boston University's team in 1954-55) died at the age of 24 in 1956 when he crashed into Chesapeake Bay while secretly flying his previously-damaged light plane.

• C Frank Grube (hoops starter for Lafayette in 1926-27) purchased from the St. Louis Browns by the Chicago White Sox in 1935.

• San Diego Padres RF Tony Gwynn (All-WAC second-team selection with San Diego State in 1979-80 and 1980-81) stole five bases against the Houston Astros in 1986, tying the modern N.L. record for thefts in a single contest.

• Cincinnati Reds RHP Jay Hook (Northwestern's third-leading scorer as sophomore with 10.7 ppg in 1955-56) hurled a two-hit shutout, chilling the Milwaukee Braves' pennant aspirations in 1960.

• 3B Ryan Minor (two-time All-Big Eight Conference first-team selection for Oklahoma was league player of year as a junior in 1994-95 when averaging 23.6 ppg and 8.4 rpg) replaced Cal Ripken Jr. in the Baltimore Orioles' starting lineup, ending Ripken's MLB record consecutive-game streak at 2,632.

• Washington Senators rookie CF Irv Noren (hooper of year for California community college state champion Pasadena City in 1945) knocked in five runs against the St. Louis Browns in a 1950 contest.

• Detroit Tigers CF Jim Northrup (second-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder for Alma MI in 1958-59) homered twice against the Washington Senators in a 1968 outing.

• Philadelphia Phillies RHP Robin Roberts (Michigan State's second-leading scorer in 1945-46 and 1946-47) yielded a MLB-record 40th homer in 1955.

• Brooklyn Dodgers 2B Jackie Robinson (highest scoring average in PCC both of his seasons with UCLA in 1939-40 and 1940-41) contributed his fifth steal of home in the 1949 campaign.

• Baltimore Orioles DH Ken Singleton (Hofstra freshman hoops team in mid-1960s) socked his 246th and final MLB homer in 1984. Singleton's last three round-trippers were grand slams.

• In his MLB debut in 1961, St. Louis Cardinals RHP Ray Washburn (Whitworth WA scoring leader in 1958-59 and 1959-60 when All-Evergreen Conference selection) tossed 4 1/3 innings of hitless relief.

• Washington Senators RHP Monte Weaver (hoops center for Emory & Henry VA in mid-1920s) won his MLB debut (eight innings as starter against Chicago White Sox in 1931).

• Washington Senators LHP Tom Zachary (Guilford NC hoops letterman in 1916) fired a two-hit shutout against the Chicago White Sox in 1921.