98 Years Ago Today in Rutgers Football History

[Source]

Rutgers (and Army's) Walter French started the first half of becoming the seventh athlete to ever play in MLB and the NFL in the same calendar year.

Outfielder Walter French was in the line-up for the season opener of the Philadelphia Athletics on April 14, 1925. His last game was at Shibe Park in Philadelphia on September 26th. The next day he played for the 1925 NFL Pottsville Maroons at Minersville Park 100 miles to the northwest. The Maroons season went on to became the most controversial in NFL championship history.

 

[rutger80]

Just looked him up in the Baseball Encyclopedia.
He was on the A's 1929 World Series winning team, seeing action in one game.
Was he the first Rutgers player to win a World Series?

 

[colbert17]

Just looked him up in the Baseball Encyclopedia.
He was on the A's 1929 World Series winning team, seeing action in one game

Sounds like Moonlight Graham

 

[Source]

Just looked him up in the Baseball Encyclopedia.
He was on the A's 1929 World Series winning team, seeing action in one game.
Was he the first Rutgers player to win a World Series?

He was the first.

French played for Connie Mack through the 1920s and was considered one of the league's best pinch hitters in some of those years. His one at-bat in the World Series was a pinch-hit appearance. In 1928, he shared his outfield position with Ty Cobb.

After his MLB career, he joined the Knoxville Smokies where the Goudey Gum Company issued his baseball card in the early 1930s. He was also on several retro-1990s baseball cards of long-ago stars.

And he also had his very own stamped bat with his engraved signature. Somebody on ebay was selling one for $200 a few years ago.

Here's a page containing different Walter French cards:

Walter French card - Bing

Intelligent search from Bing makes it easier to quickly find what you’re looking for and rewards you.

www.bing.com

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

Rutgers (and Army's) Walter French started the first half of becoming the seventh athlete to ever play in MLB and the NFL in the same calendar year.

Outfielder Walter French was in the line-up for the season opener of the Philadelphia Athletics on April 14, 1925. His last game was at Shibe Park in Philadelphia on September 26th. The next day he played for the 1925 NFL Pottsville Maroons at Minersville Park 100 miles to the northwest. The Maroons season went on to became the most controversial in NFL championship history.

Good stuff.. that 1925 NFL Championship controversy is very interesting.. especially since whoever represents the Pottsville Maroons has appealed the decision even as late as 2003.

This NFL team timeline is pretty interesting as well.. somewhere in the middle it shows the Pottsville Maroons becoming the Boston Bulldogs. It also appears that the only ancient NFL team that never changed its name is the New York Giants.. though we all know they changed states!

 

[Source]

"...It also appears that the only ancient NFL team that never changed its name is the New York Giants.. though we all know they changed states!.."

The Green Bay Packers were formed in 1919 and joined the new American Professional Football League (changed in 1922 to the National Football League) when it started in 1920.

There was a book about the 1925 Pottsville Maroons called "Breaker Boys: The NFL's Greatest Team and the Stolen 1925 Championship" by David Fleming.

A set of semi-private football cards was issued back in 1977 with red-toned pictures of the team including Rutgers Walter French (I have one). The cards were made by the family that origianlly sold Pottsville their uniforms. The only uniforms they had in bulk back then were colored maroon - hence the name.

By the way, the game that should have given the NFL Championship to the Pottsville Maroons would have identified Walter French as the MVP of the game.

1977 Pottsville Maroons - Bing

Intelligent search from Bing makes it easier to quickly find what you’re looking for and rewards you.

www.bing.com

 

[rutger80]

Sounds like Moonlight Graham

Should have clarified to say one game in the World Series.
Career .303 average over 6 seasons, although most games in any one of those seasons was 112.