On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Make News in September 1 MLB Games

September 1st, 2020 - 9:48

Extra! Extra! Unless you're a cardboard cut-out, you can read news 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.

Former Guilford NC hoopers Rick Ferrell and Tom Zachary supplied significant American League performances on this date. Ex-LSU hoopers Joe Adcock and Alvin Dark did likewise in National League contests. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a September 1 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

SEPTEMBER 1

  • Milwaukee Braves 1B Joe Adcock (Louisiana State's leading basketball scorer in 1945-46) swatted two homers against the Chicago Cubs in a 1960 game.

  • Chicago Cubs LF Ethan Allen (Cincinnati hoops letterman in 1924-25 and 1925-26) supplied four hits against the New York Giants in a 1936 contest.

  • Chicago White Sox CF Ken Berry (freshman hooper for Wichita in 1959-60) went 4-for-4 in a 1966 game against the Detroit Tigers.

  • Baltimore Orioles LF Al Bumbry (Virginia State's runner-up in scoring with 16.7 ppg as freshman in 1964-65) banged out four hits against the Kansas City Royals in a 1974 outing.

  • Arizona Diamondbacks 1B Tony Clark (San Diego State's leading scorer in WAC competition in 1991-92) collected five RBI against the Colorado Rockies in a 2007 game.

  • Philadelphia Athletics rookie RHP Jack Coombs (hoops captain and starting center for Colby ME) went the distance in a 24-inning, 4-1 win against the Washington Senators in 1906. Coombs tossed two more complete-game victories in the next 10 days.

  • New York Giants SS Alvin Dark (hoops letterman for Louisiana State and Southwestern Louisiana in mid-1940s) manufactured four hits in his second game in a row against the Chicago Cubs in 1953.

  • Milwaukee Braves 2B Jack Dittmer (Iowa hooper in 1949-50), entering the game with a .180 batting average, started a streak of six consecutive multiple-hit contests in 1954. Dittmer homered in three of the tilts.

  • Closing in on the conclusion of an 18-year Hall of Fame career, Washington Senators C Rick Ferrell (hoops forward for Guilford NC before graduating in 1928) furnished four hits against the Philadelphia Athletics in a 1947 contest.

  • In 1976, Baltimore Orioles rookie LHP Mike Flanagan (averaged 13.9 ppg for UMass' freshman squad in 1971-72) registered his first of 167 MLB career victories (six-hit, 7-1 nod over Kansas City Royals).

  • Pittsburgh Pirates rookie 3B Gene Freese (West Liberty WV hoops captain of 1952 NAIA Tournament team) stroked four hits against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 1955 outing.

  • SS Dick Groat (two-time All-American with Duke in 1950-51 and 1951-52 when finishing among nation's top five scorers each season) received bases-loaded walk in the 21st inning to give the San Francisco Giants a 1-0 victory at Cincinnati in 1967.

  • Chicago Cubs SS Don Kessinger (three-time All-SEC selection for Mississippi from 1961-62 through 1963-64 while finishing among nation's top 45 scorers each year) went 4-for-4 against the Houston Astros in a 1968 game.

  • Detroit Tigers RF Harvey Kuenn (hooper played briefly for Wisconsin in 1951-52 after competing on JV squad previous season) contributed four hits against the Chicago White Sox in a 1959 contest.

  • Washington Senators SS Doc Lavan (Hope MI hooper from 1908 through 1910) went 4-for-4 against the New York Yankees in a 1918 outing.

  • In 1931, New York Giants rookie LHP Jim Mooney (played for East Tennessee State) notched his fourth win and second shutout since being summoned from the minors three weeks earlier.

  • Washington Senators rookie SS Buddy Myer (Mississippi State hoops letterman in 1923-24) went 4-for-5 for the second time in an eight-game span in 1926.

  • Cincinnati Reds CF Greasy Neale (hooper graduated in 1915 from West Virginia Wesleyan) went 5-for-5 against the St. Louis Cardinals in the nightcap of a 1918 doubleheader.

  • OF-1B John Poff (member of Duke's freshman basketball squad in 1970-71) awarded off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies to the Milwaukee Brewers in 1980.

  • Brooklyn Dodgers LHP Preacher Roe (Harding AR hooper in late 1930s) yielded five solo homers but the St. Louis Cardinals still were soundly defeated, 12-5, in 1953. Five years earlier, Roe tossed his second of back-to-back shutouts in 1948.

  • New York Yankees rookie LHP Marius Russo (member of LIU teams compiling 50-2 record in 1934-35 and 1935-36 under legendary coach Clair Bee) earned a save against the Cleveland Indians in the midst of seven straight complete-game victories to close out 1939 campaign.

  • Baltimore Orioles RF Ken Singleton (played for Hofstra freshman hoops team in mid-1960s) homered twice against the Seattle Mariners in a 1980 contest.

  • Cleveland Indians 2B Riggs Stephenson (Alabama hoops letterman in 1920) collected two homers and six RBI against the St. Louis Browns in the nightcap of a 1924 twinbill.

  • Philadelphia Phillies RHP Kent Tekulve (freshman hooper for Marietta OH in mid-1960s) won his sixth game as reliever in span of a month in 1986.

  • LHP Bob Veale (scored 1,160 points from 1955-56 through 1957-58 with Benedictine KS) made relief appearance for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1971 when they started what is believed to be the first all-black lineup (including several Latinos) in MLB history (against Philadelphia Phillies).

  • Pittsburgh Pirates CF Bill Virdon (Drury MO hooper in 1949) belted a two-out, game-ending grand slam in 6-4 verdict over the Cincinnati Reds in 1963.

  • New York Yankees LHP Tom Zachary (Guilford NC letterman in 1916) yielded his most earned runs of the year (four against Boston Red Sox) en route to a 12-0 worksheet in 1929.