On This Date: Former College Hoopers Make Mark on October 26 MLB Games

October 26th, 2015 - 6:43

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 hoopsters had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an October 26 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

OCTOBER 26

  • Detroit Tigers OF Hank Greenberg (attended NYU briefly on basketball scholarship in late 1920s) won 1940 A.L. MVP.

  • In 1960, Washington Senators President Calvin Griffith (letterman in 1934 and 1935 when George Washington compiled 25-10 record) made decision to move franchise to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

  • RHP Oral Hildebrand (All-American for Butler in 1928-29 and 1929-30) traded by the St. Louis Browns to the New York Yankees in 1938.

  • RHP Sonny Siebert (team-high 16.7 ppg for Mizzou in 1957-58 as All-Big Eight Conference second-team selection) traded by the Texas Rangers to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1973.