Inclusivity: 13 Ex-College Hoopers Played in All-Star Game More Than 5 Years

July 15th, 2024 - 18:55

It is odd that the 2024 MLB All-Star Game will be conducted in the ballpark of the defending World Series champion (Texas Rangers in Arlington). But what also is weird has been "cancellation" over the years of former college basketball regulars playing in the extravaganza. Four such versatile athletes - Rick Ferrell (Guilford NC), Frankie Frisch (Fordham), Oral Hildebrand (Butler) and Hal Schumacher (St. Lawrence NY) - appeared in the inaugural major league baseball All-Star Game in 1933 and at least one ex-college hooper participated in every All-Star extravaganza through the remainder of the 20th Century.

An annual average of seven former college hoopsters were MLB All-Stars the first half of the 1950s (including Hall of Famers Monte Irvin, Robin Roberts and Jackie Robinson). That's a higher figure that the total number of ex-college hoopers competing at the MLB level the past several seasons. In an era of specialization, fewer and fewer individuals are opening themselves up to learning its more difficult to earn a spot on a MLB 40-man roster than a college hoops roster. Evidence of the recent reduction of dual-sport athletes is exhibited by the fact pitchers Chris Young (2007) and Matt Thornton (2010) are the only players in this unique category since outfielder Randy Winn (2002). Ferrell, Roberts and Robinson are among 13 former college hoopers participating in All-Star games in more than five years.

Four franchises - Braves, Cardinals, Cubs and Giants - have had eight different ex-college hoopers become a MLB All-Star. Arizona, Illinois, San Diego State and Texas A&M each had three former hoopers go on to become MLB All-Stars. Reliever Lee Smith (Northwestern State) is the only MLB All-Star for as many as four different franchises after playing NCAA Division I hoops. Leon Wagner (Tuskegee AL) is the only former college hooper named MVP (second game in 1962) among the following alphabetical list of MLB All-Star selections who played varsity basketball as a regular for a four-year college:

All-Star Player MLB Team(s) When Named All-Star Pos. All-Star Season(s) Hoops College
Joe Adcock Milwaukee Braves 1B 1960 Louisiana State
George Altman Chicago Cubs OF 1961 and 1962 Tennessee State
Glenn Beckert Chicago Cubs 2B 1969 through 1972 Allegheny PA
R.C. "Beau" Bell St. Louis Browns OF 1937 Texas A&M
Bruce Bochte Seattle Mariners 1B 1979 Santa Clara
Frank Bolling Milwaukee Braves 2B 1961 and 1962 Spring Hill AL
Lou Boudreau* Cleveland Indians SS 1940-41-42-43-44-47-48 Illinois
Ralph Branca Brooklyn Dodgers RHP 1947 through 1949 New York University
Al Bumbry Baltimore Orioles OF 1980 Virginia State
Bob Cerv Kansas City Athletics LF 1958 Nebraska
Tony Clark Detroit Tigers 1B 2001 Arizona/San Diego State
Mickey Cochrane* Detroit Tigers C 1934 and 1935 Boston University
Gene Conley Milwaukee Braves/Philadelphia Phillies RHP 1954-55-59 Washington State
George Crowe Cincinnati Reds 1B 1958 Indiana Central
Alvin Dark New York Giants SS 1951-52-54 LSU/Southwestern Louisiana
Larry Doby Cleveland Indians OF 1949 through 1955 Virginia Union
Walt Dropo Boston Red Sox 1B 1950 Connecticut
Walter "Hoot" Evers Detroit Tigers OF 1948 and 1950 Illinois
Rick Ferrell* Boston Red Sox/Washington Senators C 1933 through 1938 and 1944 Guilford NC
David "Boo" Ferriss Boston Red Sox RHP 1946 Mississippi State
Frankie Frisch* St. Louis Cardinals INF 1933 through 1935 Fordham
Bob Gibson* St. Louis Cardinals RHP 1962-65-66-67-68-69-70-72 Creighton
Dick Groat Pittsburgh Pirates/St. Louis Cardinals SS 1959-60-62-63-64 Duke
Wayne Gross Oakland Athletics 3B 1977 Cal Poly Pomona
Tony Gwynn* San Diego Padres OF 1984 through 1999 (except for 1988) San Diego State
Tom Haller San Francisco Giants/Los Angeles Dodgers C 1966 through 1968 Illinois
Atlee Hammaker San Francisco Giants LHP 1983 East Tennessee State
Mike Hargrove Texas Rangers OF-1B 1975 Northwestern Oklahoma State
Jim Hearn New York Giants RHP 1952 Georgia Tech
Bill Henry Cincinnati Reds LHP 1960 Houston
Oral Hildebrand Cleveland Indians RHP 1933 Butler
Chuck Hinton Washington Senators OF 1964 Shaw NC
Gil Hodges Brooklyn Dodgers 1B 1949 through 1955 and 1957 St. Joseph's IN/Oakland City IN
Frank Howard Washington Senators OF 1968 through 1971 Ohio State
Billy Hunter St. Louis Browns SS 1953 Indiana PA
Monte Irvin* New York Giants OF 1952 Lincoln PA
Davey Johnson Baltimore Orioles/Atlanta Braves 2B 1968-69-70-73 Texas A&M
Duane Josephson Chicago White Sox C 1968 Northern Iowa
David Justice Atlanta Braves/Cleveland Indians OF 1993-94-97 Thomas More KY
Bob Keegan Chicago White Sox RHP 1954 Bucknell
Charlie Keller New York Yankees OF 1940-41-43-46-47 Maryland
Vern Kennedy Chicago White Sox/Detroit Tigers RHP 1936 and 1938 Central Missouri State
Don Kessinger Chicago Cubs SS 1968-69-70-71-72-74 Mississippi
Jim Konstanty Philadelphia Phillies RHP 1950 Syracuse
Vance Law Chicago Cubs 3B 1988 Brigham Young
Thornton Lee Chicago White Sox LHP 1941 and 1945 Cal Poly
Hank Leiber New York Giants/Chicago Cubs OF 1938-40-41 Arizona
Dave Lemanczyk Toronto Blue Jays RHP 1979 Hartwick NY
Danny Litwhiler Philadelphia Phillies OF 1942 Bloomsburg PA
Kenny Lofton Cleveland Indians/Atlanta Braves OF 1994 through 1999 Arizona
Johnny Logan Milwaukee Braves SS 1955-57-58-59 Binghamton
Davey Lopes Los Angeles Dodgers 2B 1978 through 1981 Iowa Wesleyan/Washburn KS
Jerry Lumpe Detroit Tigers 2B 1964 Southwest Missouri State
Ted Lyons* Chicago White Sox RHP 1939 Baylor
Arnold "Bake" McBride St. Louis Cardinals OF 1976 Westminster MO
Wallace "Wally" Moon St. Louis Cardinals/Los Angeles Dodgers OF 1957 and 1959 Texas A&M
Charles "Buddy" Myer Washington Senators 2B 1935 and 1937 Mississippi State
Graig Nettles New York Yankees/San Diego Padres 3B 1975-77-78-79-80-85 San Diego State
Bill Nicholson Chicago Cubs RF 1940-41-43-44 Washington College MD
Joe Niekro Houston Astros RHP 1979 West Liberty WV
Claude Passeau Chicago Cubs RHP 1941-42-43-45-46 Millsaps MS
Gary Peters Chicago White Sox LHP 1964 and 1967 Grove City PA
Lou Piniella Kansas City Royals OF 1972 Tampa
Ron Reed Atlanta Braves RHP 1968 Notre Dame
Eldon "Rip" Repulski St. Louis Cardinals OF 1956 St. Cloud State MN
Robin Roberts* Philadelphia Phillies RHP 1950 through 1956 Michigan State
Jackie Robinson* Brooklyn Dodgers INF-OF 1949 through 1954 UCLA
Elwin "Preacher" Roe Brooklyn Dodgers LHP 1949 through 1952 Harding AR
Robert "Red" Rolfe New York Yankees 3B 1937 through 1940 Dartmouth
Marius Russo New York Yankees LHP 1941 Long Island
Richie Scheinblum Kansas City Royals OF 1972 LIU-C.W. Post NY
Hal Schumacher New York Giants RHP 1933 and 1935 St. Lawrence NY
Don Schwall Boston Red Sox RHP 1961 Oklahoma
Jeff Shaw Los Angeles Dodgers RHP 1998 and 2001 Rio Grande OH
Norm Siebern Kansas City Athletics 1B 1962 through 1964 Southwest Missouri State
Dick Siebert Philadelphia Athletics 1B 1943 Concordia-St. Paul MN
Wilfred "Sonny" Siebert Cleveland Indians/Boston Red Sox RHP 1966 and 1971 Missouri
Lee Smith* Chicago Cubs/St. Louis Cardinals/Baltimore Orioles/California Angels RHP 1983-87-91-92-93-94-95 Northwestern State
Dave Stenhouse Washington Senators RHP 1962 Rhode Island
Matt Thornton Chicago White Sox LHP 2010 Grand Valley State MI
Bob Veale Pittsburgh Pirates LHP 1965 and 1966 Benedictine KS
Leon Wagner Los Angeles Angels OF 1962 and 1963 Tuskegee AL
Wes Westrum New York Giants C 1952 and 1953 Bemidji State MN
Bill White St. Louis Cardinals 1B 1959-60-61-63-64 Hiram OH
Sammy White Boston Red Sox C 1953 Washington
Dave Winfield* San Diego Padres/New York Yankees OF 1977 through 1988 Minnesota
Randy Winn Tampa Bay Devil Rays OF 2002 Santa Clara
Eddie Yost Washington Senators 3B 1952 New York University
Chris Young San Diego Padres RHP 2007 Princeton

*Baseball Hall of Famers.