On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Make News in October 26 MLB Games

October 26th, 2020 - 9:43

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.

Two former leading hoop scorers for current power-league members - Oral Hildebrand (Butler) and Sonny Siebert (Missouri) - were part of trades involving St. Louis MLB teams on this date. 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 (hoops 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 (hoops 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.