Striking Number of Former College Hoopers Eventually Made MLB Hall of Fame

The Baseball Hall of Fame is hallowed ground. This week marks a delayed induction in quaint Cooperstown, N.Y., after COVID-19 took control of the world. A couple of years ago, inductee Lee Smith was a versatile athlete who went from a major-college basketball court in Louisiana (with Northwestern State) to holding court as one of the one percent of players achieving stardom in baseball's HOF. The following individuals among the more than 300 MLB Hall of Famers were college hoopers:

WALTER ALSTON, Miami (Ohio)
Managed the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers for 23 seasons (1954 through 1976), winning seven National League pennants and three World Series. In eight All-Star Game assignments, Alston was the winning manager a record seven times. He struck out in his only major league at-bat with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1936. . . . The 6-2, 195-pound Alston, a charter member of his alma mater's Athletic Hall of Fame, lettered in basketball in 1932-33, 1933-34 and 1934-35. He scored 10 of Miami's 15 points in a 32-15 defeat against Indiana in his senior season.

LOU BOUDREAU, Illinois
Infielder hit .295 in 15 seasons (1938 through 1952) with the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox. Managed Indians, Red Sox, Kansas City Athletics and Chicago Cubs, starting his managerial career at the age of 24 in 1942. As player-manager in 1948, the shortstop led Cleveland to the A.L. title and earned MVP honors by hitting .355 with 116 RBI. He hit a modest .273 in the World Series. The seven-time All-Star led the A.L. with 45 doubles on three occasions (1941, 1944 and 1947) and paced the league in batting average in 1944 (.327). . . . Played two varsity basketball seasons for Illinois (1936-37 and 1937-38) under coach Doug Mills. As a sophomore, Boudreau led Illinois in scoring with an 8.7-point average as the team shared the Big Ten Conference title. Compiled an 8.8 average the next year. After helping the Illini upset St. John's in a game at Madison Square Garden, the New York Daily News described him as "positively brilliant" and said he "set up countless plays in breathtaking fashion." Averaged 8.2 ppg for Hammond (Ind.) in the National Basketball League in 1938-39.

ALBERT B. "HAPPY" CHANDLER, Transylvania (Ky.)
Twice governor of Kentucky (1935-39 and 1955-59), U.S. senator (1939-45) and commissioner of baseball (1945-51). He oversaw the initial steps toward integration of the major leagues. Democrat embraced the "Dixiecrats" in the late 1940s. . . . Captain of Transylvania's basketball team as a senior in 1920-21.

GORDON "MICKEY" COCHRANE, Boston University
Hall of Famer hit .320 (highest career mark ever for a catcher) with the Philadelphia Athletics and Detroit Tigers in 13 seasons from 1925 through 1937. Swatted three homers in a single game as a rookie. Lefthanded swinger was A.L. MVP in 1928 and 1934. Led the A.L. in on-base percentage in 1933 (.459) and ranked among the league top nine in batting average five times (1927-30-31-33-35). Participated in five World Series (1929-30-31-34-35). . . . Five-sport athlete with BU, including basketball (class of '24).

EARLE COMBS, Eastern Kentucky
Hall of Fame outfielder hit .325 with the New York Yankees in 12 seasons from 1924 through 1935. Lefthanded swinger led the A.L. in hits with 231 in 1927 when he also paced the the league in singles and triples. Also led the A.L. in triples in 1928 and 1930. Assembled a 29-game hitting streak in 1931. Leadoff hitter and "table-setter" for the Yankees' potent "Murderer's Row" offense ranked among the A.L. top six in runs eight straight years when he became the first player in modern major league history to score at least 100 runs in his first eight full seasons. Posted a .350 batting average in four World Series (1926-27-28-32) before a pair of serious collisons shortened his productive career. Served as coach with the Yankees (1936-44), St. Louis Browns (1947), Boston Red Sox (1948-54) and Philadelphia Phillies (1955). . . . Captain of his alma mater's basketball squad for three years when EKU was known as Eastern State Normal.

LARRY DOBY, Virginia Union
Outfielder hit .283 with 253 home runs and 969 RBI in a 13-year career from 1947 through 1959 with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox. The first black player in the American League twice led the A.L. in homers (32 in 1952 and 1954). He was the first African-American to lead a league in homers (1952 and 1954) and the first to participate in the World Series (1948). Hit 20 or more round-trippers eight consecutive seasons from 1949 through 1956 while finishing among the A.L. top nine in slugging percentage each year. The seven-time All-Star drove in 100 or more runs five times, leading the A.L. with 126 in 1954 when the Indians won 111 games before being swept by the New York Giants in the World Series. Appeared in 1948 and 1954 World Series with the Indians, winning Game 4 in '48 with a homer off Braves star Johnny Sain. Doby managed the White Sox for most of 1978 (37-50 record). . . . The 6-1, 180-pounder attended LIU on a basketball scholarship but transferred to Virginia Union prior to the start of the season after Uncle Sam summoned him for World War II service. Doby was told Virginia Union had a ROTC program and he could complete his freshman season before being drafted. He became eligible the second semester of the 1942-43 season and was a reserve guard on a team that won the CIAA title.

RICK FERRELL, Guilford (N.C.)
Catcher hit over .300 five times en route to a .281 career batting average with the St. Louis Browns, Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators in 18 years from 1929 through 1947. He set an A.L. record with 1,805 games behind the plate. Traded with his brother (pitcher Wes Ferrell) from Boston to Washington during the 1937 campaign. . . . The 5-10, 160-pounder was a basketball forward before graduating in 1928.

FRANKIE FRISCH, Fordham
Registered a run of 11 consecutive .300 seasons and set fielding records for chances and assists with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1927. As player-manager with the Cards, he instilled the rollicking all-out style of hardnosed play that prompted a team nickname of "The Gashouse Gang." His season strikeout total topped 20 only twice en route to a .316 average in his 19-year career, which also included a stint with the New York Giants. . . . According to his bio in Total Baseball, "The Fordham Flash" captained the Rams' basketball squad. In 1925, Frisch officiated the first-ever game played in the Rose Hill Gym (the oldest NCAA Division I facility in the nation).

BOB GIBSON, Creighton
Compiled a 251-174 pitching record with 3,117 strikeouts and 2.91 ERA in 17 seasons (1959 through 1975) with the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1968, he pitched 13 shutouts en route to a 1.12 ERA, the second-lowest since 1893 in 300 innings. Gibson notched a 7-2 mark and 1.89 ERA in nine games in the 1964, 1967 and 1968 World Series (92 strikeouts in 81 innings). He set a World Series record with 17 strikeouts against the Detroit Tigers on October 2, 1968. . . . First Creighton player to average 20 ppg for his career (20.2). Led the school in scoring in 1955-56 (40th in the country with 22 ppg) and 1956-57 and was second-leading scorer in 1954-55 before playing one season (1957-58) with the Harlem Globetrotters. Sketch from school brochure: "Possesses outstanding jump shot and for height (6-1) is a terrific rebounder."

TONY GWYNN, San Diego State
Padres outfielder hit .338 in 20 seasons (1982 through 2001), winning eight N.L. batting titles--1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997. Played in 15th All-Star Game in 1999 before topping the 3,000-hit plateau later in the year. Holds N.L. record for most years leading league in singles (six). Won a Gold Glove five times (1986-87-89-90-91). He hit .368 in the 1984 N.L. Championship Series to help San Diego reach the World Series against the Detroit Tigers. Also participated in the 1998 World Series against the New York Yankees. Became baseball coach at his alma mater after retiring from the major leagues. . . . Averaged 8.6 ppg and 5.5 apg in 107 games with the Aztecs in four seasons (1977-78 through 1980-81). The 5-11, 170-pound guard was named second-team All-Western Athletic Conference as both a junior and senior. Led the WAC in assists as both a sophomore and junior and was third as senior. Paced San Diego State in steals each of his last three seasons. Selected in the 10th round of 1981 NBA draft by the San Diego Clippers.

MONTE IRVIN, Lincoln (Pa.)
Outfielder-first baseman hit .293 with 99 home runs and 443 RBI in eight major league years (1949 through 1956) with the New York Giants and Chicago Cubs. Irvin led the N.L. in RBI with 121 in 1951, the same year he led the World Series in hitting (.458 vs. crosstown Yankees) after collecting seven hits in the first two contests of the six-game set. He was a member of the Giants' squad that swept the Cleveland Indians in the 1954 World Series. The 6-1, 195-pounder was one of the first black players signed after baseball's color line was broken in 1947. Among the brightest stars in the Negro Leagues, he registered league highs of .422 in 1940 and .396 in 1941 before spending three years in the Army. . . . His athletic career was nearly prematurely ended when an infection from a scratched hand in a basketball game kept him close to death for seven weeks. Irvin participated in basketball for 1 1/2 years in the late 1930s for Lincoln, an all-black university in Oxford, Pa., before dropping out of school.

SANDY KOUFAX, Cincinnati
Compiled a 165-87 record and 2.76 ERA in 12 seasons as a lefthanded pitcher with the Brooklyn (1955 through 1957) and Los Angeles (1958 through 1966) Dodgers. Led the N.L. in ERA in each of his last five seasons, going 25-5 in 1963 (MVP), 26-8 in 1965 and 27-9 in 1966 (Cy Young Award). Pitched four no-hitters and had 98 games with at least 20 strikeouts. Notched a 4-3 record and 0.95 ERA in eight World Series games in 1959, 1963 (MVP), 1965 (MVP) and 1966. . . . The Brooklyn native attended Cincinnati one year on a combination baseball/basketball scholarship before signing a pro baseball contract for a reported $20,000 bonus. He was the third-leading scorer with a 9.7-point average as a 6-2, 195-pound forward for the Bearcats' 12-2 freshman team in 1953-54. Koufax compiled a 3-1 pitching record in his lone college baseball campaign, averaging 14.3 strikeouts and 8.4 bases on balls per game when his statistics are converted to a nine-inning game ratio. . . . Ed Jucker, coach of Cincinnati's NCAA titlists in 1961 and 1962, directed the Bearcats' baseball squad and freshman basketball team in 1953-54. Jucker said of Koufax's basketball ability: "He could jump extremely well, was a strong kid and a good driver. He would have made a fine varsity player. We certainly could have used him." If viewers pay attention to CBS acknowledging celebrities in the stands during telecasts with crowd shots, they've probably noticed that Koufax regularly attends the Final Four.

TED LYONS, Baylor
Spent his entire 21-year career with the Chicago White Sox (1923 through 1942 and 1946) after never playing in the minors. Managed the White Sox from 1946 through 1948. Three-time 20-game winner compiled a 260-230 record and 3.67 ERA in 594 games. He pitched a no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox in 1926. In 1939, Lyons hurled 42 consecutive innings without issuing a walk. . . . Earned four basketball letters at Baylor from 1919-20 through 1922-23. Consensus first-team selection on All-Southwest Conference squad as a sophomore and senior.

CHRISTY MATHEWSON, Bucknell
Often regarded as baseball's greatest pitcher, the righthander compiled a 372-188 record and 2.13 ERA with 79 shutouts for the New York Giants in 17 years from 1900 to 1916 before winning his lone start with Cincinnati in 1916. Led the N.L. in ERA five times (1905-08-09-11-13). Hall of Famer ranked among the N.L. top five in victories 12 years in a row from 1903 through 1914. Paced the N.L. in strikeouts on five occasions in a six-year span from 1903 through 1908. Won 30 games or more in three consecutive seasons, leading the Giants in their 1905 World Series victory over the Philadelphia Athletics by hurling three shutouts in six days. Also appeared in three straight World Series from 1911 through 1913. . . . The 6-2 Mathewson also played football and basketball at the turn of the 20th Century for Bucknell (class of '02).

CUM POSEY, Penn State/Duquesne
Founder and co-owner of the Homestead Greys professional baseball team that won eight consecutive National Negro League titles. . . . Posey was the first African American to complete in intercollegiate athletics for Penn State in 1910-11. He later attended Duquesne. A legend in Pittsburgh sports history was owner/player for the famed Leondi Club, an independent basketball team that was the National Negro Championship team for many years.

EPPA RIXEY JR., Virginia
Compiled a 266-251 record with 3.15 ERA in 21 seasons (1912 through 1917 and 1919 through 1933) with the Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds. He never played a minor league game and appeared in the 1915 World Series with the Phillies. Missed the 1918 campaign while serving overseas with an Army chemical-warfare division. Rixey won 19 or more games six years, including 1922 when he led the N.L. with 25 victories with the Reds. In his next to last season, he pitched a string of 27 consecutive scoreless innings at age 42. The N.L.'s winningest lefthanded pitcher until Warren Spahn broke his record was selected to the Hall of Fame in 1963. . . . The 6-5, 210-pound Rixey, who also played golf at Virginia, earned basketball letters in 1911-12 and 1913-14.

ROBIN ROBERTS, Michigan State
Compiled a 286-245 record in 19 seasons (1948 through 1966) with the Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs. He was a twenty-game winner for six consecutive seasons with the Phillies (1950 through 1955), leading the N.L. in victories the last four years in that span. The seven-time All-Star lost his only World Series start in 1950, 2-1, when the Yankees' Joe DiMaggio homered off him in the 10th inning. . . . Roberts played three seasons of basketball with the Spartans (1944-45 through 1946-47). He averaged 10.6 ppg as a freshman (team's third-leading scorer as he was eligible because of WWII), 9.8 as a sophomore (second-leading scorer) and 9.0 as a junior (second-leading scorer). The 6-0, 190-pound forward led the team in field-goal percentage as a junior captain. Sketch from school basketball guide: "Regarded by newsmen as one of the greatest players today in college basketball. A poll by Detroit Free Press named him the 'most valuable' collegiate player in Michigan. He is not especially fast, but he's extremely well-coordinated, passes exceptionally well, and is a beautiful one-hand shot artist."

JACKIE ROBINSON, UCLA
Infielder hit .311 with 137 homers as a regular on six N.L. pennant winners with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 10 seasons (1947 through 1956). After becoming Rookie of the Year in 1947, Robinson was named MVP in 1949 when he led the N.L. with a .342 batting average and 37 stolen bases. The six-time All-Star homered in the 1952 All-Star Game. He had two homers and seven doubles in World Series competition. . . . Football, basketball and track standout at Pasadena City College in 1937-38 and 1938-39. Named to All-Southern California Junior College Conference Western Division all-star basketball team both years, a span in which UCLA was winless in league competition. First athlete in UCLA history to letter in football, basketball, baseball and track. Forward compiled the highest scoring average in the Pacific Coast Conference both of his seasons with UCLA (12.3 points per league game in 1939-40 as an all-league second-team selection and 11.1 in 1940-41). In his last UCLA athletic contest, he accounted for more than half of the Bruins' output with 20 points in a 52-37 loss to Southern California.

LEE SMITH, Northwestern (La.) State
All-time major league career saves leader when he retired, notching 478 in 18 seasons from 1980 through 1997 with the Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, California Angels, Cincinnati Reds and Montreal Expos until Trevor Hoffman broke his mark in 2006. Set a record in 1991 (subsequently broken) for most saves in a season by a N.L. pitcher with 47 for the Cardinals. Righthander led the N.L. in saves three times (1983-91-92) and the A.L. once (1994). Seven-time All-Star selection posted a career 71-92 record and lost league championship series games with the Cubs in 1984 and Red Sox in 1988. . . . The 6-5, 215-pound forward averaged 3.4 ppg and 1.9 rpg with the Demons in his only season of college basketball (1976-77). He scored eight points in a 97-92 loss at Lamar when teammate Billy Reynolds set a school single-game Division I record with 42 points.

JIM THOME, Illinois Central College
Lefthanded batter hit .276 with 612 homers and 1,699 RBI with the Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins and Baltimore Orioles in 22 years from 1991 through 2012. First-ballot Hall of Famer was five-time All-Star and one of eight players in MLB history with at least 500 homers, .400 on-base percentage and .550 slugging percentage upon retirement. He led the A.L. in bases on balls with the Indians three times (1997, 1999 and 2002) before pacing N.L. in homers with 47 in 2003 for the Phillies. Finished among the top four in A.L. in round-trippers on six occasions. . . . "About a mile from our (Peoria, IL) house was the ghetto," Thome said. "It was where the best basketball games were played. I'd go over there all the time. I usually was the only white kid in the games, and they respected me because I kept coming back." He played hoops for a local junior college in 1988-89. "My father was tough on me, pushing me," Thome said. "I remember when I scored 36 points in a state tournament basketball game. It was one point off a school record. I thought my dad would be happy, but that night he talked about the mistakes I made on defense and in rebounding." According to ICC's athletic department, "People weren't sure which sport, basketball or baseball, was Jim's best." ICC hoops coach Carroll Herman said, "He (Thome) was a plugger, strong on the boards and gave us toughness inside. He could have gone on and played at a four-year school. He was good enough."

DAVE WINFIELD, Minnesota
Outfielder hit .283 with 465 home runs, 1,833 RBI and 3,110 hits in 22 seasons (1973 through 1988 and 1990 through 1995) with the San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, California Angels, Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians. Appeared in 12 All-Star Games after never playing in the minors. Participated in the World Series with the Yankees (1981) and Blue Jays (1992). . . . Played two seasons of varsity basketball as a 6-6, 220-pound forward with the Gophers, averaging 6.9 ppg and 5.4 rpg as a junior in 1971-72 and 10.5 ppg and 6.1 rpg as senior in 1972-73. He played the entire game in Minnesota's first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1972 under coach Bill Musselman. Selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the fifth round of the 1973 NBA draft and the Utah Stars in the sixth round of the 1973 ABA draft. Didn't play college football, but was chosen in the 17th round of the 1973 NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings. Excerpt from school guide: "Recruited out of intramural ranks to lend depth, became a starter and was a giant in the stretch drive. Amazing athlete leaps like a man catapulted. Soft touch from medium range."