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 a June 21 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 21

• Pittsburgh Pirates 3B Clyde Barnhart (played basketball for Shippensburg PA predecessor Cumberland Valley State Normal School prior to World War I) and LF Carson Bigbee (letterman with his brother on Oregon's squad in 1915) combined for nine hits against the Brooklyn Robins in 1922.

• Detroit Tigers 1B Tony Clark (San Diego State's leading scorer in WAC games in 1991-92) collected five RBI against the Boston Red Sox in 1997. Two years later, Clark cracked three extra-base hits against the Oakland Athletics in 1999.

• After registering five saves in less than a month, Cincinnati Reds LHP Joe Gibbon (two-time All-SEC forward for Ole Miss was nation's second-leading scorer as senior in 1956-57) notched his 11th straight scoreless relief appearance.

• RHP Walt Huntzinger (All-EIBL second-five selection in 1921-22 with Penn) awarded on waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Chicago Cubs in 1926.

• OF Rusty Kuntz (played J.C. hoops for Cuesta CA) traded by the Chicago White Sox to the Minnesota Twins in 1983.

• Washington Senators CF Don Lock (led Wichita State in field-goal percentage in 1956-57 and 1957-58 under coach Ralph Miller) smashed two homers against the Kansas City Athletics in the opener of a 1964 doubleheader.

• Chicago White Sox RHP Ted Lyons (two-time All-SWC first-team selection for Baylor in early 1920s) notched his 250th career win in 1942. Lyons finished the season hurling complete games in all 20 starts, led the A.L. with a 2.10 ERA, and then entered the U.S. Marine Corps at age 42.

• Washington Senators rookie CF Irv Noren (player of year for California community college state champion Pasadena City in 1945) knocked in five runs against the Detroit Tigers in 1950.

• Detroit Tigers RF Jim Northrup (second-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder for Alma MI in 1958-59) amassed two homers and five RBI against the Cleveland Indians in the nightcap of a 1970 twinbill.

• Brooklyn Dodgers LHP Preacher Roe (played for Harding AR in late 1930s) won his first 10 decisions in 1951.

• New York Yankees 3B Red Rolfe (played briefly with Dartmouth in 1927-28 and 1929-30) provided five hits against the Detroit Tigers in 1940.

• As a pinch-hitter, New York Mets C John Stephenson (scored 1,361 points for William Carey MS in early 1960s) was the final out of P Jim Bunning's perfect game for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1964.

• Chicago Cubs LF Riggs Stephenson (Alabama letterman in 1920) supplied four hits against the Philadelphia Phillies in 1932.

• In 1973, San Diego Padres rookie LF Dave Winfield (starting forward with Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) whacked his first of 465 MLB homers (off Ken Forsch of Houston Astros).

"It is much easier to become a father than to be one." - Letters to My Son: Reflections on Becoming a Man

A thorough check of an athlete's pedigree often is illuminating. Undeniably, it is also much easier to talk about becoming a prominent player than putting in the man hours necessary to earn your spurs and have an impact at a single university like the Guokas clan at Saint Joseph's. Matt Sr. and Matt Jr. went on to become the first father-son tandem to win NBA championships as players before Matt III competed four seasons with the Hawks from 1988-89 through 1991-92.

St. Joe's also supplied Vince Kempton, the only Hawks player to make more than 50% of his field goals in both of their Final Four games in 1961. He is the father of former NBA center Tim Kempton Sr., a starter for Notre Dame squads averaging 21 victories annually in the mid-1980s, and grandfather of Tim Kempton Jr., who could become a three-time Patriot League MVP for Lehigh.

Gifted by having a father and grandfather with hoop credentials is not a prerequisite for becoming a competent basketball player. Although some observers might think the last couple of generations in the following hoop families were groomed from birth, on-court excellence is earned not inherited.

Hoosier Hysteria's passion can't be denied when considering Indiana families including All-Americans Steve Alford, Eric Montross and Jack Parkinson plus significant DI contributors with last names like Dakich, Neal, Plumlee and Shepherd. In deference to Father's Day, following is an alphabetical list of the most accomplished father-son-grandson basketball combinations with at least one of them playing for or coaching a school from a power conference or in national postseason competition:

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 a June 18 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 18

• Philadelphia Phillies rookie LF Harry Anderson (averaged 7.7 ppg and 8.9 rpg for West Chester PA basketball squad in 1951-52) provided the game-winning hit with a fifth-inning grand slam in a 7-6 win against the Chicago Cubs in 1957.

• Pittsburgh Pirates RF Clyde Barnhart (played for Shippensburg PA predecessor Cumberland Valley State Normal School prior to World War I) had five RBI against the Boston Braves in 1923.

• Cincinnati Reds rookie RF Frankie Baumholtz (MVP in 1941 NIT and first player in Ohio University history to score 1,000 points in a career) collected four hits and 1B Babe Young (Fordham letterman in 1935-36) contributed a pair of three-run homers to support teammate Ewell Blackwell's no-hitter against the Boston Braves in 1947.

• Cincinnati Reds 3B Gene Freese (West Liberty WV captain of 1952 NAIA Tournament team) collected seven hits in a 1961 doubleheader sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies.

• Chicago White Sox RHP Jim Geddes (averaged 2.7 ppg for Ohio State from 1967-68 through 1969-70 under coach Fred Taylor) held the California Angels hitless for 4 2/3 innings but walked six in his 1973 debut. In his next appearance, Geddes held the Texas Rangers scoreless in 4 1/3 innings in the opener of a July 4 doubleheader.

• 1B Dick Gernert (Temple letterman in 1948-49) whacked the only homer for the Boston Red Sox while tallying 17 runs in the seventh inning of a 23-3 rout of the Detroit Tigers in 1953. C Sammy White (All-PCC Northern Division first-five selection for Washington in 1947-48 and 1948-49) tied a MLB single-inning record by scoring three runs during the explosive frame.

• Brooklyn Robins 3B Wally Gilbert (captain played for Valparaiso from 1918-19 through 1920-21) went 4-for-4 and scored three runs in an 8-7 win against the New York Giants in the opener of a 1929 doubleheader.

• Pittsburgh Pirates 1B Hank Greenberg (enrolled at NYU on hoop scholarship in 1929 but attended college only one semester) whacked two homers against the New York Giants in 1947.

• In 1963, San Francisco Giants C Tom Haller (backup forward for Illinois in 1956-57 and 1957-58 under coach Harry Combes) homered in his third consecutive contest.

• Cleveland Indians RHP Oral Hildebrand (Butler All-American in 1928-29 and 1929-30) hurled back-to-back shutouts in 1933, giving him five whitewash performances in less than a two-month span. Four years later with the St. Louis Browns, Hildebrand hurled a two-hit shutout against the Washington Senators in 1937.

• Brooklyn Dodgers 1B Gil Hodges (played for St. Joseph's IN in 1943 and Oakland City IN in 1947 and 1948) homered twice against the Chicago Cubs in 1954.

• In 1962, Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Sandy Koufax (Cincinnati's freshman squad in 1953-54) outdueled St. Louis Cardinals RHP Bob Gibson (Creighton's leading scorer and rebounder in 1955-56 and 1956-57). It marked the third time Koufax won a game, 1-0, on a Tommy Davis homer.

• Chicago Cubs LF Hank Leiber (played for Arizona in 1931) smacked two homers against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1941.

• Los Angeles Dodgers 2B Davey Lopes (NAIA All-District 15 selection for Iowa Wesleyan averaged 16.9 ppg as freshman in 1964-65 and 12.1 ppg as sophomore in 1965-66) stole four bases against the Montreal Expos in 1978.

• Chicago Cubs RF Bill Nicholson (Washington College MD guard for two years in mid-1930s) smashed two homers against the Cincinnati Reds in the nightcap of a 1944 twinbill.

• Spoiling the MLB debut of Hall of Fame RHP Robin Roberts (Michigan State's second-leading scorer in 1945-46 and 1946-47), the Pittsburgh Pirates edged the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-0, in 1948.

• Arizona Diamondbacks rookie 2B Junior Spivey (redshirted his only semester at Northwestern Oklahoma State on hoop scholarship before transferring to KS junior college) stroked five hits in a 14-5 thrashing of the Houston Astros in 2001.

• In 1986, San Diego Padres RHP Tim Stoddard (starting forward opposite All-American David Thompson for North Carolina State's 1974 NCAA champion) slugged his first and only MLB homer. He appeared in another 128 games but never had another at-bat.

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 a June 16 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 16

• Philadelphia Phillies LF Ethan Allen (Cincinnati basketball letterman in 1924-25 and 1925-26) contributed four hits in an 8-3 win against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1934.

• In the midst of a 17-game hitting streak, St. Louis Cardinals RF George Altman (appeared in 1953 and 1954 NAIA Tournament with Tennessee State) went 5-for-7 in a 1963 doubleheader split against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

• C Ferrell Anderson (Kansas letterman in 1936-37 and 1937-38) purchased from the Philadelphia Phillies by the St. Louis Browns in 1951.

• In the midst of a career-high 15-game hitting streak, Chicago Cubs LF Larry Biittner (runner-up in scoring and rebounding for Buena Vista IA in 1966-67) had four safeties in a 13-inning, 7-6 win against the Houston Astros in 1978.

• Detroit Tigers 1B Tony Clark (San Diego State's leading scorer in WAC games in 1991-92) homered in his fourth consecutive contest in 2001.

• Hitting an anemic .128 entering the contest, Detroit Tigers LF Hoot Evers (Illinois starter in 1939-40) started a streak of seven straight multiple-hit games in 1951.

• Boston Red Sox rookie RHP Boo Ferriss (Mississippi State letterman in 1941) lost against the New York Yankees, 3-2, in 1945 after starting his career with eight victories (four of them shutouts).

• New York Giants INF Frankie Frisch (Fordham captain) collected five hits against the Chicago Cubs in 1921. Fourteen years later with the St. Louis Cardinals, Frisch furnished four hits against the Giants in 1935.

• Baltimore Orioles 3B Wayne Gross (led Cal Poly Pomona in assists in 1974-75) whacked two homers for the second time in first 13 games of the month in 1985.

• Pittsburgh Pirates 3B Lee Handley (Bradley letterman from 1932-33 through 1934-35) banged out three hits in both ends of a 1946 doubleheader split against the Philadelphia Phillies.

• Philadelphia Phillies RHP Andy Karl (Manhattan letterman from 1933 through 1935) surrendered his first run after blanking opponents in previous eight relief appearances in 1946.

• Light-hitting INF Jerry Kindall (averaged 6.9 ppg for Minnesota in 1955-56) connected for a game-winning two-run homer in the ninth inning to give the Cleveland Indians a 10-9 win over the New York Yankees in 1962.

• New York Giants CF Hank Leiber (played for Arizona in 1931) launched two homers against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1935.

• Cleveland Indians rookie 3B Ed Morgan (Tulane letterman from 1923-24 through 1925-26) stroked four extra-base hits in a 9-2 win against the Philadelphia Athletics in 1928.

• Cleveland Indians 3B Graig Nettles (shot 87.8% from free-throw line for San Diego State in 1963-64) went 5-for-5 as leadoff hitter against the Minnesota Twins in 1971.

• Detroit Tigers OF Jim Northrup (second-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder for Alma MI in 1958-59) provided three extra-base hits against the Boston Red Sox in 1966.

• New York Yankees 3B Red Rolfe (played briefly with Dartmouth in 1927-28 and 1929-30) smacked three doubles against the St. Louis Browns in the opener of a 1940 twinbill.

• Seattle Mariners RHP Chris Young (All-Ivy League first-team selection as Princeton's leading scorer and rebounder in 1999-00) hurled six shutout frames against the San Diego Padres in the first of his six straight starts allowing fewer hits than innings pitched in 2014.

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 a June 14 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 14

• LF Babe Barna (West Virginia basketball letterman in 1936 and 1937) traded by the New York Giants to the Boston Red Sox in 1943.

• Philadelphia Athletics SS Jack Barry (Holy Cross letterman in 1908) banged out four hits against the Chicago White Sox in 1914.

• Cleveland Indians SS Lou Boudreau (leading scorer for Illinois' 1937 Big Ten Conference co-champion) went 5-for-5 against the Detroit Tigers in the nightcap of a 1944 twinbill.

• Philadelphia Athletics C Mickey Cochrane (Boston University player in early 1920s) collected three extra-base hits and four RBI against the Cleveland Indians in 1928.

• SS Alvin Dark (letterman for LSU and USL during World War II) traded with three additional players by the New York Giants in 1956 to the St. Louis Cardinals for future Hall of Fame 2B Red Schoendienst and three players.

• In his final games with the St. Louis Cardinals, CF Taylor Douthit (California letterman from 1922 through 1924) went 7-for-8 in a 1931 doubleheader sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies before he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds.

• Boston Red Sox LF Dick Gernert (Temple letterman in 1948-49 when averaging 2.7 ppg) delivered three hits and three runs for the second outing in a row against the Cleveland Indians in 1956.

• 1B Mike Hargrove (Northwestern Oklahoma State letterman) traded by the San Diego Padres to the Cleveland Indians in 1979.

• Boston Bees 1B-OF Buddy Hassett (played for Manhattan teams that won a school-record 17 consecutive games in 1930 and 1931) fouled out late in a game against the Chicago Cubs after hitting safely in 10 straight at-bats over three contests in 1940.

• New York Yankees LF Charlie Keller (three-year letterman with Maryland from 1934-35 through 1936-37) went 4-for-4 with two homers against the St. Louis Browns in 1940.

• The Detroit Tigers scored on New York Yankees RHP Jim Konstanty (member of 1937-38 and 1938-39 Syracuse teams) for the only time in his first 13 relief appearances of the month in 1955.

• In 1986, Toronto Blue Jays pinch-hitter Rick Leach (averaged 15.5 ppg for Michigan's JV squad in 1975-76) ripped a two-run homer off the Detroit Tigers' Jack Morris.

• First MLB homer for RF Lyle Mouton (starter in LSU's backcourt with All-American Chris Jackson on 1989 NCAA playoff team) came as a pinch-hitter with the Chicago White Sox off Oakland Athletics reliever Rick Honeycutt in 1995.

• New York Yankees LF Irv Noren (player of year for California community college state Pasadena City in 1945) pounded two homers against the Detroit Tigers in 1955.

• RHP Roy Parmelee (letterman for Eastern Michigan in 1924-25 and 1925-26) purchased from the Philadelphia Athletics by the Boston Red Sox in 1939.

• C Hugh Poland (Western Kentucky letterman from 1931-32 through 1933-34) traded by the Philadelphia Phillies to the Cincinnati Reds in 1947.

• New York Giants RHP Hal Schumacher (played for St. Lawrence NY in early 1930s) hurled a five-hit shutout against the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1936.

• Cincinnati Reds closer Jeff Shaw (freshman guard for 31-5 Rio Grande OH team participating in 1985 NAIA Tournament), entering the game with an 0.97 ERA, yielded five runs on seven hits in the ninth and 10th innings as the Houston Astros rallied to win, 6-3, in 1998.

• Chicago Cubs LF Riggs Stephenson (Alabama letterman in 1920) whacked two homers in a 9-7 victory against the Philadelphia Phillies in 1926.

• San Diego Padres LHP Eric Stults (played for 1999 NAIA D-II Tournament runner-up and 2000 NCCAA Tournament titlist with Bethel IN) fired a two-hit complete game in a 2-1 triumph against the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2013.

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 a June 13 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 13

• 2B Jerry Adair (one of Oklahoma State's three leading basketball scorers in 1956-57 and 1957-58 while ranking among the nation's top 12 free-throw shooters each season) traded by the Baltimore Orioles to the Chicago White Sox in 1966.

• 1B Dale Alexander (starting center in mid-1920s for Milligan TN) traded by the Detroit Tigers to the Boston Red Sox in 1932.

• RHP Jim Bibby (Fayetteville State NC backup player and brother of UCLA All-American Henry Bibby) traded by the Texas Rangers to the Cleveland Indians in 1975.

• Philadelphia Athletics C Mickey Cochrane (Boston University player in early 1920s) manufactured three hits and four RBI for the second time in a four-game span in 1927. Two years later, Cochrane contributed four hits against the Cleveland Indians in 1929.

• 1B Darrell Evans (member of Jerry Tarkanian-coached Pasadena City CA club winning 1967 state community college crown) traded by the Atlanta Braves to the San Francisco Giants in 1976.

• St. Louis Browns C Rick Ferrell (played forward for Guilford NC before graduating in 1928) went 3-for-3, including his lone homer in first 216 MLB games, and added four RBI in a 5-4 win against the Washington Senators in 1930.

• RHP Eddie Fisher (played for Oklahoma's 1954-55 freshman squad) traded by the Chicago White Sox to the Baltimore Orioles in 1966.

• Kansas City Royals rookie RHP Rich Gale (led New Hampshire with 7.2 rpg in 1975-76) hurled a one-hit shutout against the Texas Rangers in 1978.

• In 1962, Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Sandy Koufax (Cincinnati's freshman squad in 1953-54) whacked his first MLB homer (off fellow Hall of Fame lefthander Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves). Koufax went on to collect one more career round-tripper.

• St. Louis Cardinals LF Danny Litwhiler (member of JV squad with Bloomsburg PA three years in mid-1930s) logged three doubles against the Chicago Cubs in 1944.

• Milwaukee Braves SS Johnny Logan (played for Binghamton in 1948-49) contributed five RBI in a 12-5 win against the San Francisco Giants in 1960.

• In 1979, Los Angeles Dodgers 2B Davey Lopes (NAIA All-District 15 selection for Iowa Wesleyan averaged 16.9 ppg as freshman in 1964-65 and 12.1 ppg as sophomore in 1965-66) hammered a homer in the fifth game of his last seven contests.

• Philadelphia Phillies 1B Tony Lupien (Harvard captain in 1938-39) lashed two triples among his four hits against the Boston Braves in the nightcap of a 1944 doubleheader.

• A grand slam by rookie CF Jerry Martin (1971 Southern Conference MVP after he was Furman's runner-up in scoring in previous season) propelled the Philadelphia Phillies to a 5-1 triumph against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1975.

• New York Giants RHP Christy Mathewson (played for Bucknell at turn of 20th Century) fired a no-hitter against Chicago in a 1-0 win in 1905.

• OF Sam Mele (NYU's leading scorer in 1943 NCAA playoffs) traded by the Boston Red Sox to the Washington Senators in 1949.

• New York Yankees SS Gene Michael (Kent State's leading scorer with 14 ppg in 1957-58) pulled hidden-ball trick for the first of two times in a six-week span in 1970.

• St. Louis Cardinals LF Rip Repulski (started a few games for St. Cloud State MN) stroked two hits in each game of a 1954 doubleheader sweep against the Pittsburgh Pirates, triggering a streak of 10 consecutive contests with two or more safeties.

• Philadelphia Phillies Hall of Fame RHP Robin Roberts (Michigan State's second-leading scorer in 1945-46 and 1946-47) yielded three consecutive triples to INF Danny O'Connell of the Milwaukee Braves in 1956.

• Boston Red Sox RHP Don Schwall (All-Big Seven Conference second-team selection led Oklahoma in rebounding in 1956-57) tossed a two-hit shutout against the Baltimore Orioles in 1962.

• RHP Rollie Sheldon (third-leading scorer as a sophomore for Connecticut's 1960 NCAA Tournament team) traded by the Kansas City Athletics to the Boston Red Sox in a six-player swap in 1966.

• INF Gary Sutherland (Southern California's fifth-leading scorer in 1963-64 when he averaged 7.4 ppg) purchased from the Montreal Expos by the Houston Astros in 1972.

• St. Louis Browns rookie SS Herb Upton (All-EIBL first-team selection with Penn in 1945-46 before pacing Southeast Missouri State in scoring three years last half of 1940s and finishing as SEMO's career scoring leader) provided two triples in a 6-1 win against the Washington Senators in the nightcap of a 1950 doubleheader.

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 a June 12 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 12

• Milwaukee Braves 1B Joe Adcock (Louisiana State's leading basketball scorer in 1945-46) produced four hits against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the nightcap of a 1953 doubleheader. Ten years later with the Cleveland Indians in 1963, Adcock homered for the fourth time in a five-game span.

• Eighteen-year-old RHP Ralph Branca (sixth-leading scorer for NYU in 1943-44) made his Brooklyn Dodgers debut, striking out the first three New York Giants batters he faced in 1944.

• A two-run, seventh-inning triple by pinch-hitter Grant Dunlap (Pacific letterman in 1942-43 and 1946-47) proved decisive as the St. Louis Cardinals edged the New York Giants, 3-1, in 1953.

• San Francisco Giants 1B Darrell Evans (member of Jerry Tarkanian-coached Pasadena City CA club winning 1967 state community college crown) contributed a double and homer in the fourth inning when they scored all of their runs in an 8-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds in 1983.

• LHP Johnny Gee (captain of Michigan's 16-4 team in 1936-37) purchased from the Pittsburgh Pirates by the New York Giants in 1944.

• San Francisco Giants RHP Ed Halicki (NAIA All-American third-team choice in 1971-72 when leading Monmouth in scoring with 21 ppg after setting school single-game rebounding record with 40 the previous season) hurled a one-hit shutout against the Montreal Expos in 1978. Nine days later, he spun a three-hit whitewash against the Cincinnati Reds.

• Brooklyn Dodgers 3B Harvey Hendrick (Vanderbilt letterman in 1918) stole second, third and home against the Chicago Cubs in the eighth inning in 1928.

• Brooklyn Dodgers 1B Gil Hodges (played for St. Joseph's IN in 1943 and Oakland City IN in 1947 and 1948) hammered a grand slam en route to amassing eight RBI in a 20-7 triumph over the Cincinnati Reds in 1949. Three years later, Hodges homered twice against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1952.

• California Angels DH Joe Lahoud (New Haven CT letterman in mid-1960s) launched two homers against the Detroit Tigers in 1975.

• St. Louis Cardinals SS Doc Lavan (played for Hope MI from 1908 through 1910) went 5-for-5 against the Philadelphia Phillies in 1922.

• Washington Senators 3B Buddy Myer (Mississippi State letterman in 1923-24) went 4-for-4 with four RBI against the Detroit Tigers in 1938.

• C-OF Don Padgett (participated in multiple sports as a freshman for Lenoir-Rhyne NC in 1934) purchased from the Brooklyn Dodgers by the Boston Braves in 1946.

• Philadelphia Phillies LHP Eppa Rixey (Virginia letterman in 1912 and 1914) tossed the second of back-to-back shutouts in 1917. Eight years later with the Cincinnati Reds, Rixey fired a shutout amid a streak of seven straight wins in less than a month in 1925.

• Brooklyn Dodgers LF Jackie Robinson (highest scoring average in Pacific Coast Conference both of his seasons with UCLA in 1939-40 and 1940-41) registered his seventh straight multiple-hit game in 1953.

• In the midst of a career-high 16-game hitting streak in 1928, St. Louis Cardinals rookie LF Wally Roettger (Illinois letterman in 1921-22 and 1922-23) supplied his sixth straight multiple-hit outing.

• An inside-the-park homer by Cincinnati Reds OF Champ Summers (led SIUE in scoring in 1969-70 after doing same with Nicholls State in 1964-65) represented his second pinch-hit round-tripper in less than a month in 1977. Three years later with the Detroit Tigers, Summers smashed two homers against the Minnesota Twins in 1980.

• Detroit Tigers LHP Ed Wells (multi-sport athlete graduated in 1924 from Bethany WV) hurled his third straight shutout en route to six complete-game victories during the month in 1926.

• In 1954, RHP Jim Wilson (letterman for San Diego State's 1942 NAIA Tournament participant) hurled a no-hitter for the Milwaukee Braves against Hall of Fame RHP Robin Roberts (Michigan State's second-leading scorer in 1945-46 and 1946-47) and the Philadelphia Phillies.

• OF-3B Chuck Workman (All-MIAA selection was leading scorer in inaugural NAIA Tournament won by Central Missouri State in 1937) traded by the Boston Braves to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1946.

The greatest folk hero in college basketball history is recently-deceased small-school player Clarence "Bevo" Francis, who set the all-time collegiate scoring record with 113 points for Rio Grande (Ohio) College in a 134-95 victory over Hillsdale on February 2, 1954 until Grinnell's Jack Taylor exploded for 138 in mid-November 2012. Francis' revolutionary jump shot helped him average 46.5 points per game that season, when he earned spots on AP, UPI and NABC All-American teams as a small-college player.

Francis, distinguishing himself from Taylor's achievement, proved he could score against major-college opponents by pouring in 39 points vs. Villanova, 41 vs. Providence, 48 vs. Miami (Fla.), 34 vs. North Carolina State, 32 vs. Wake Forest, 48 vs. Butler and 49 and 41 vs. Creighton. Rio Grande won the Providence, Miami, Wake Forest and Butler games and the first Creighton contest.

"I really don't remember much about the 113-point game," said Francis, who was selected by the Philadelphia Warriors in the 1956 draft but couldn't reach a contract agreement with them and never played in the NBA. "It was just another time when I was double- and triple-teamed. Their coach told me after the game that if he could have dressed out, he would have guarded me, too."

No stat sheet exists to detail how many shots the 6-9 Francis attempted en route to his 37 field goals against Hillsdale. "Most of them were outside," he said. "With the three-pointer, I know I would have come close to 150 points."

The scoring outburst might not have had much of an impact on him because he scored even more points - 116 - as a freshman the previous season against Ashland (Ky.) Junior College when he erupted for 55 in the 10-minute fourth quarter. Francis averaged 50.1 points that year for a 39-0 team that reportedly generated sufficient gate receipts to save the school from bankruptcy. However, his single-game total against Ashland and his season average were later expunged from the NCAA record book because 27 of the opponents for Rio Grande (pronounced RYE-o Grand) were junior colleges, military teams and vocational schools.

Francis was outscored by a teammate only once (23-21 by Roy Moses at Bluefield). Among the coaches who tried to contain him was George Steinbrenner III, the eventual New York Yankees owner who piloted the airmen at Lockbourne Air Force base in Portsmouth, Ohio.

Bevo's nickname stemmed from his father's fondness for Beve Beer, a root beer-type soft drink. Francis rejected offers from larger universities to follow his Wellsville, Ohio, high school coach, Newt Oliver, to a college with an enrollment of 92 full-time students. Francis, who had a wife and an infant when he arrived at Rio Grande, left school after his sophomore season and signed a three-year contract worth $13,000 annually to play on a national barnstorming tour for a team opposing the Harlem Globetrotters.

Francis singlehandedly outscored the opposition eight times to spark Rio Grande (Ohio) to a 59-8 record in his two-year scoring orgy. Bevo supplied four of the following 19 scoring explosions of more than 75 points in games between two four-year colleges:

In the aftermath of N.L. no-hitters by the San Francisco Giants' Chris Heston and Washington Nationals' Max Scherzer, it's time to take a look at former college hoopsters who went on to hurl a no-no at the major-league level. Brooklyn native Sandy Koufax attended Cincinnati one year on a combination baseball/basketball scholarship under coach Ed Jucker in both sports before signing a pro baseball contract. Koufax was the third-leading scorer with 9.7 ppg for the Bearcats' 12-2 freshman squad in 1953-54 before hurling no-hitters in four straight seasons the first half of the 1960s.

Two former Bucknell products - Bob Keegan and Christy Mathewson - are among the following ex-college basketball players who went on to toss a MLB no-hitter (listed in reverse order):

*Perfect game.

The departure of Steve Prohm to Iowa State enabled Murray State to join the list of schools losing at least seven head coaches over the years to other major colleges or the NBA. The Racers lost four coaches to other universities in a 14-year span from 1985 to 1998. Prohm could join three other former Murray coaches in the 2016 NCAA playoffs (North Carolina State's Mark Gottfried, Cincinnati's Mick Cronin and Texas A&M's Billy Kennedy).

Incredibly, Tulsa lost four coaches in a seven-year period from 1995 to 2001. Other schools losing coaches in comparable short spans include Idaho (11 years from 1983 to 1993), Princeton (12 years from 2000 to 2011), New Orleans (14 years from 1994 to 2007) and Penn (15 years from 1971 to 1985).

Unlike POTUS, at least some universities have a strategy to win their basketball wars by knowing where to go for a competent coach. Following is an alphabetical list of the six DI schools - five of them mid-major institutions - losing seven head coaches to other DI schools or the pros:

Idaho - Dave MacMillan (left for Minnesota/1927), Dave Strack (Michigan/1960), Joe Cipriano (Nebraska/1963), Don Monson (Oregon/1983), Tim Floyd (New Orleans/1988), Kermit Davis (Texas A&M/1990), Larry Eustachy (Utah State/1993)

Kansas State - Jack Gardner (Utah/1953), Tex Winter (Washington/1968), Cotton Fitzsimmons (Phoenix Suns/1970), Lon Kruger (Florida/1990), Dana Altman (Creighton/1994), Bob Huggins (West Virginia/2008), Frank Martin (South Carolina/2012)

Montana - Jud Heathcote (Michigan State/1976), Jim Brandenburg (Wyoming/1978), Mike Montgomery (Stanford/1986), Stew Morrill (Colorado State/1991), Pat Kennedy (Towson/2004), Larry Krystkowiak (assistant with Milwaukee Bucks/2006), Wayne Tinkle (Oregon State/2014)

Murray State - Ron Greene (Indiana State/1985), Steve Newton (South Carolina/1991), Scott Edgar (Duquesne/1995), Mark Gottfried (Alabama/1998), Mick Cronin (Cincinnati/2006), Billy Kennedy (Texas A&M/2011), Steve Prohm (Iowa State/2015)

Penn - Howie Dallmar (Stanford/1954), Jack McCloskey (Wake Forest/1966), Dick Harter (Oregon/1971), Chuck Daly (assistant with Philadelphia 76ers/1977), Bob Weinhauer (Arizona State/1982), Craig Littlepage (Rutgers/1985), Fran Dunphy (Temple/2006)

Tulsa - Ken Hayes (New Mexico State/1975), Nolan Richardson Jr. (Arkansas/1985), Tubby Smith (Georgia/1995), Steve Robinson (Florida State/1997), Bill Self (Illinois/2000), Buzz Peterson (Tennessee/2001), Danny Manning (Wake Forest/2014)

Florida State's Mike Martin, eliminated by long-time rival Florida, was again denied the possibility of becoming the latest former college basketball player to coach a school to a College World Series championship. One of the all-time five winningest college baseball coaches, he boasts the highest winning percentage among NCAA Division I mentors, winning almost three-fourths of his games. Martin, who has guided the Seminoles to the CWS a total of 15 times (1980-86-87-89-91-92-94-95-96-98-99-00-08-10-12), played basketball for Wingate (NC) in the mid-1960s before the institution became a four-year school. One of his junior college hoop teammates was Morris "Mo" McHone, who went on to coach the San Antonio Spurs in 1983-84. Martin coached basketball for Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College in the early 1970s.

Martin, runner-up in 1986 and 1999, isn't the only revered coach frustrated by not capturing a national title. Richard "Itchy" Jones, who averaged 8.9 ppg for Southern Illinois' basketball squad in 1956-57, established a baseball dynasty in 21-year coaching career at his alma mater before accepting a similar position with the Illini in Champaign in 1991. Jones compiled a 1,240-752-6 record before retiring in 2005. In 1971, his second year at Southern Illinois, Jones guided the Salukis to within one game of the national title, finishing second at the CWS. In 1974 and 1977, Jones brought SIU back to the CWS, placing third both times. Buoyed by 22 eventual major leaguers, he became the 18th coach in NCAA Division I history to win 1,000 games.

Stanford's Everett Dean, compiling a 3-0 basketball tournament record in 1942, is the only unbeaten coach in NCAA playoff history. He is also the only NCAA basketball championship coach to win a CWS baseball game for the same school as a coach (1953). Following is an alphabetical list of previous ex-college hoopsters who went the extra step and reached the milestone of coaching a CWS titlist:

JOHN "JACK" BARRY, Holy Cross
Infielder, primarily a shortstop, hit .243 with the Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Red Sox in 11 A.L. seasons from 1908 through 1919. Ranked fifth in the league in RBI in 1913 with 85 for the Athletics as a key component of Connie Mack's first dynasty. Participated in five World Series, four with the champion, in a six-year span from 1910 through 1915. Compiled a 90-62 managerial record with the Red Sox in 1917 before winning more than 80% of his games coaching his alma mater for 40 years (including capturing the 1952 College World Series). The 5-9 Barry was a basketball letterman for the Crusaders in 1908.

SAM BARRY, Wisconsin
Basketball Hall of Famer coached USC's 1948 baseball titlist. He is the Trojans' all-time winningest basketball coach.

RAY "PICK" FISHER, Middlebury (VT)
Righthander compiled a 100-94 record and 2.82 ERA with the New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds in 10 years from 1910 through 1920. Ranked among the A.L. top 10 in ERA and complete games in back-to-back seasons (1914 and 1915). Started one World Series game for the Reds against the Chicago White Sox in 1919. Won 14 Big Ten Conference championships as baseball coach at Michigan for 38 years until the late 1950s (including 1953 College World Series title). Became a spring training pitching instructor for the Detroit Tigers after being blacklisted for almost 40 years because of salary disputes with Cincinnati's owners. Fisher played "class" basketball (1910 graduate) before becoming his alma mater's first full-time salaried member of the Physical Education Department.

MARTIN KAROW, Ohio State
Coach of his alma mater's 1966 College World Series winner after the Buckeyes finished runner-up the previous year. He was a basketball letterman in 1925.

JERRY KINDALL, Minnesota
Infielder hit .213 in nine seasons (1956 through 1958 and 1960 through 1965) with the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins. Baseball coach at Arizona for more than 20 years, leading the Wildcats to three College World Series titles (1976, 1980 and 1986). He is the only player to hit for the cycle in the College World Series at Omaha (against Ole Miss on June 11, 1956). Kindall is the only individual to play for and coach CWS champions. The 6-2 1/2, 175-pounder played two seasons of varsity basketball for Minnesota under coach Ozzie Cowles, averaging 1.4 ppg as a sophomore in 1954-55 and 6.9 ppg as a junior in 1955-56. Excerpt from school guide: "Exceptionally quick reflexes and a good eye are his main attributes although he also has tremendous spring making him a good rebounder."

DON LUND, Michigan
Outfielder hit .240 in a seven-year career (1945, 1947 through 1949 and 1952 through 1954) with the Brooklyn Dodgers, St. Louis Browns and Detroit Tigers. His only season as a regular was 1953 when he was the Tigers' right fielder. Coached baseball at his alma mater, winning the national championship in 1962, before running the Tigers' farm system until 1970. First-round selection as a fullback/linebacker by the Chicago Bears in the 1945 NFL draft. Rejected $100 a game offer from the Bears and never played pro football. He was a 6-0, 200-pound starting guard as a junior for the Wolverines' basketball team and starting center as a senior. Averaged 4.4 ppg in 46 outings. In his history of Michigan basketball, Jeff Mortimer wrote of the school's World War II squads: "Lund, rejected for military service because of a trick knee, was the mainstay of these teams." Following his playing career, he served as baseball coach for his alma mater (won 1962 College World Series), farm system director for the Tigers and associate athletic director at his alma mater.

DICK SIEBERT, Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.)
Lefthanded first baseman hit .282 with the Brooklyn Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Athletics in 11 years in 1932 and from 1936 through 1945. All-Star in 1943 finished among the top Seven in the A.L. in batting average in 1941 and 1944. Minnesota's baseball coach for 31 years (753-361-8 record from 1948 through 1978) captured three CWS titles in a nine-year span from 1956 through 1964. His son, Paul, pitched with the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres and New York Mets for five years from 1974 to 1978. Siebert played two years of college basketball in 1929 and 1930. The March 1929 issue of the Concordia Comet mentions that, "Lefty Siebert, despite having never touched a basketball before enrolling at Concordia, was almost as good a basketball player as he was a baseball player."

JOHN "HI" SIMMONS, Northeast Missouri State
Missouri's all-time winningest baseball coach (481-284 record in 34 years) captured the 1954 NCAA title in one of his six College World Series appearances. One of his winning pitchers at the CWS was Norm Stewart, who went on to become Mizzou's all-time winningest basketball coach. School's baseball stadium is named after Simmons. All-conference center was senior captain of 1927-28 basketball squad.

BOBBY WINKLES, Illinois Wesleyan
Coached Arizona State to College World Series titles in 1965, 1967 and 1969 before managing the California Angels in 1973 and through the first 74 games of 1974 (170-213 major league record). Reggie Jackson, Rick Monday and Sal Bando were among the more than 20 future major leaguers he coached at ASU. Winkles led Illinois Wesleyan in scoring as a senior in 1950-51 (12 ppg). The 5-9, 170-pound guard was a first-team selection in the College Conference of Illinois.

Swingman Pat Connaughton, Notre Dame's runner-up in scoring and rebounding the last two seasons, was the most notable college basketball player selected last year in the 2014 MLB Amateur Draft. Connaughton, a pitcher, was picked in the fourth round by the Baltimore Orioles (121st choice overall) before losing his lone decision in the New York-Penn League (Class A).

In an era of increased specialization, the Orioles selected former LSU hoopster Ben McDonald with the first pick in the 1989 draft. McDonald, a part-time starter as a freshman forward under coach Dale Brown in 1986-87, went on to pitch in the starting rotation for the Orioles and Milwaukee Brewers for nine years from 1989 through 1997 before becoming an analyst for ESPN's CWS coverage.

Infielder-outfielder C.J. Henry, the 17th pick overall in the 2005 draft, hit an anemic .222 in four low-minors seasons in the New York Yankees' farm system before the brother of Kansas standout Xavier Henry averaged 3.1 ppg in 13 contests with the Jayhawks in 2009-10. But North Carolina State's Andrew Brackman, who pitched briefly for the Yankees in 2011, is the only DI basketball regular in the 21st Century to become a major leaguer after being selected in the opening round of the amateur draft. Brackman was chosen ahead of supplemental first-rounders Todd Frazier and Justin Jackson. Other notable players picked that year include Brandon Belt (11th round), Zack Cozart (2nd), Lucas Duda (7th), Freddie Freeman (2nd), Matt Harvey (3rd/did not sign), Greg Holland (10th), Craig Kimbrel (33rd/did not sign), Corey Kluber (4th), Jonathan Lucroy (3rd), Anthony Rizzo (6th), Chris Sale (21st/did not sign), Giancarlo Stanton (2nd) and Jordan Zimmerman (2nd).

Numerous universities have featured versatile athletes who played college basketball before going on to major league baseball careers. Connecticut's Scott Burrell, a three-time All-Big East Conference choice under Huskies coach Jim Calhoun, is the first athlete to become a first-round draft pick of two major sports organizations (MLB and NBA). The first-round selection of the Seattle Mariners in 1989 and fifth-round choice by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1990 never reached as high as Double A, compiling a 2-6 Class A pitching record in 14 starts in the Blue Jays' farm system 1990 and 1991. Burrell, a first-round pick by the Charlotte Hornets in 1993, averaged 6.9 ppg and 3.5 rpg with four different NBA franchises in eight seasons from 1993-94 through 2000-01.

In 1989, Burrell was picked ahead of supplemental first-rounder Todd Jones plus the following eventual MLB hurlers: Jerry Dipoto (3rd round), Alan Embree (5th), Scott Erickson (4th), Sterling Hitchcock (9th), Trevor Hoffman (11th), Curt Leskanie (8th), Denny Neagle (3rd), Paul Quantrill (6th), Pat Rapp (15th), Shane Reynolds (3rd), Russ Springer (7th), Mike Trombley (14th) and Tim Worrell (20th). In 1990, Burrell was chosen before eventual MLB pitchers Jason Bere (36th round), Eddie Guardado (21st), Mike Hampton (6th), Dave Mlicki (17th), Troy Percival (6th), Andy Pettitte (22nd), Rick White (15th) and Mike Williams (14th).

Lefthanded reliever Matt Thornton of the Washington Nationals averaged 5.8 points and 2.4 rebounds per game for Grand Valley State (MI) from 1995-96 through 1997-98, shooting 54.7% from the floor his last two seasons before becoming a first-round draft choice by the Seattle Mariners. Following is an alphabetical list including Thornton among the major leaguers who were first-round choices in the amateur baseball draft after playing varsity college basketball:

*Did not sign that year.
**January draft/secondary phase.
NOTES: 1B-OF Rick Leach (13th pick in 1979 by Detroit Tigers) was a JV player for Michigan and OF Ken Singleton (3rd selection in 1967 by New York Mets) was a freshman player for Hofstra. . . . Rasmussen and Stenhouse were compensation for signings of free-agent pitchers Nolan Ryan and Steve Renko, respectively.