Richard Henry Kerr (July 3, 1893 – May 4, 1963) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

. He also served as a

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...

Early life

Kerr was born in St. Louis, Missouri, one of Richard J. and Anna (née Tieman) Kerr's nine children. Kerr's father worked as a firefighter on rafts along the Mississippi. Prior to playing baseball, Kerr competed in amateur boxing. Kerr married Cora (nicknamed "Pep") Downing at age 21, on July 7, 1914. The couple remained married until Kerr's death in 1963. Kerr started playing baseball 14 alongside amateur adult baseball players. In 1909, Kerr and one of his brothers joined the

Paragould Paragould is the county seat of Greene County, and the 19th-largest city in Arkansas, in the United States. The city is located in northeastern Arkansas on the eastern edge of Crowley's Ridge, a geologic anomaly contained within the Arkansas delta ...

Scouts in the

Northeast Arkansas League The Northeast Arkansas League was the name used by a pair of American minor league baseball leagues. The first of these started operations in 1909 and continued through 1911. The second version began operations for the 1936 season. It continu ...

. He played for lower-level teams from 16 to 22, including the

Cairo Egyptians The Cairo Egyptians were a minor league baseball team from Cairo, Illinois, that played in the Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League (KITTY League) on and off from 1903 to 1950 and in the Central League in 1897. Team history On February 7, 18 ...

and the Cleburne Railroaders. In 1917, he joined the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

of the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

, then one of the top minor leagues, for whom he pitched 448 innings in two seasons.

Professional baseball

Buck Weaver George Daniel "Buck" Weaver (August 18, 1890 – January 31, 1956) was an American shortstop and third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox. Weaver played for the 1917 World Series champion White Sox, then ...

and Clarence "Pants" Rowland recommended Kerr for the major leagues and the

team. This happened during the "work or fight order" of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. At the time Dickey was about 5’7 and weighed 155 pounds. Kerr was living in the

Fairbanks Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the po ...

and

Morse Morse may refer to: People * Morse (surname) * Morse Goodman (1917-1993), Anglican Bishop of Calgary, Canada * Morse Robb (1902–1992), Canadian inventor and entrepreneur Geography Antarctica * Cape Morse, Wilkes Land * Mount Morse, Churchi ...

areas of Wisconsin, and working in a factory. Weaver was a mechanic at one of the other shops at the same factory. The owner of the Chicago White Sox at the time was Charles Comiskey, and the manager was

Kid Gleason William Jethro "Kid" Gleason (October 26, 1866 – January 2, 1933) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player and manager. Gleason managed the Chicago White Sox from 1919 through 1923. His first season as a big league manager was notabl ...

. Kerr played for the White Sox from 1919 to 1921. Eight of Kerr's teammates took bribes to throw the

1919 World Series The 1919 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1919 season. The 16th edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion Chicago White Sox against the National League champion Cincinnati Reds. ...

against the Cincinnati Reds. They would forever become known as the

Chicago Black Sox The Black Sox Scandal was a Major League Baseball game-fixing scandal in which eight members of the Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for money from a gambling syndicate le ...

. These teammates were permanently banned from

after throwing the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

against the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

were Chick Gandil,

Happy Felsch Oscar Emil "Happy" Felsch (August 22, 1891 – August 17, 1964) was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago White Sox from 1915 to 1920.

Eddie Cicotte Edward Victor Cicotte (; June 19, 1884 – May 5, 1969), nicknamed "Knuckles", was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball best known for his time with the Chicago White Sox. He was one of eight players permanently ineligible f ...

Shoeless Joe Jackson Joseph Jefferson Jackson (July 16, 1887 – December 5, 1951), nicknamed "Shoeless Joe", was an American outfielder who played Major League Baseball (MLB) in the early 1900s. Although his .356 career batting average is the fourth highest ...

Lefty Williams Claude Preston "Lefty" Williams (March 9, 1893 – November 4, 1959) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is probably best known for his involvement in the 1919 World Series fix, known as the Black Sox Scandal. Career Willia ...

Fred McMullin Fred Drury McMullin (October 13, 1891 – November 20, 1952) was an American Major League Baseball third baseman. He is best known for his involvement in the 1919 Black Sox scandal. Early life Fred McMullin was born to Robert and Minnie McM ...

, and Swede Risberg. Kerr was not involved in the scandal and won both of the games he started. Nevertheless, owner Comiskey refused to give Kerr what he believed to be a fair raise. Dickey held out for more pay before the 1922 season and refused to play. This resulted in a suspension from the White Sox. Kerr played exhibition games with other teams. This led to a suspension from the Major Leagues by Commissioner

Kenesaw Landis Kenesaw Mountain Landis (; November 20, 1866 – November 25, 1944) was an American jurist who served as a United States federal judge from 1905 to 1922 and the first Commissioner of Baseball from 1920 until his death. He is remembered for his ...

. Kerr did not play Major League Baseball from 1922 to 1924. Dickey returned to semiprofessional leagues. In 1925, Kerr made a short comeback to the major leagues, playing for the White Sox. Kerr had a 53–34 career record. From 1927 to 1938, Kerr played for minor league teams before retiring from his playing career.

Coach

From 1927 to 1940, Kerr worked as a coach. He began with the

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranke ...

(then Rice Institute) Owls. He coached in Washington and West Virginia before accepting a position in Florida. Kerr began managing the

Daytona Beach Islanders Daytona Beach Islanders was a name for various minor league baseball teams that have all played in the Florida State League from 1920–1966 and in 1977 and again from 1985–1986. In 1968 through 1973, the team became the Daytona Beach Dodgers, d ...

in the year of 1940. His coaching led him to Stan Musial. Kerr told Musial, then beset by arm problems, to stop pitching and become a batter. Kerr's mentoring may have helped Musial attain his later success. Musial smacked career 3000 hits. In 1958, right before Musial's batting accomplishment, Kerr was working for an electric company. Musial gave Kerr a house for his birthday. He purchased the home for somewhere around $10,000–$20,000, from his income of around $100,000. Kerr lived there until his death in 1963.

Legacy

Writer Jim Baker noted that of the thirteen principal members of the 1919 White Sox, only Kerr and

Nemo Leibold Harry Loran "Nemo" Leibold (February 17, 1892 – February 4, 1977) was an outfielder in Major League Baseball from 1913 to 1925. He played for the Cleveland Naps, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, and Washington Senators. He stood at and was n ...

neither were banned for life nor were selected for the

National Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

. Kerr is not eligible for the Hall of Fame under the Hall's current rules, which require a player to have played in at least ten major league seasons (Kerr played in only four). Although Kerr was never inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, his accomplishments received recognition. He "received the inaugural

Tris Speaker Tristram Edgar Speaker (April 4, 1888 – December 8, 1958), nicknamed "the Gray Eagle", was an American professional baseball player. Considered one of the greatest players in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB), he compiled a career bat ...

Memorial Award from the Houston Chapter of the

Baseball Writers' Association of America The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) is a professional association for journalists writing about Major League Baseball for daily newspapers, magazines and qualifying websites. The organization was founded in 1908, and is known fo ...

", an award given to athletes, and baseball officials that have made some sort of exceptional contribution towards the game. He received Houston's key to the city during a night honoring him in 1961 at Busch Stadium. A statue was dedicated to him at the

Astrodome The NRG Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, is the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas. It was financed and assisted in development by Roy Hofheinz, mayor of Houston ...

after his death. Kerr lost his fight with cancer and died May 4, 1963, and he is buried in Houston, Texas at the Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery. Kerr's friend Stan Musial attended the Second Annual Old Timers' Game in honor of Kerr. His statue since has changed locations a few times. The bronze statue of Kerr started at the Astrodome and was last on display at Constellation Field. Its last known keeper was the Finger Family, and their curator Tom Kennedy. In the 1988 film ''

Eight Men Out ''Eight Men Out'' is a 1988 American sports drama film based on Eliot Asinof's 1963 book ''Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series''. It was written and directed by John Sayles. The film is a dramatization of Major League Baseball's ...

'', about the Black Sox scandal, Kerr was portrayed by actor

Jace Alexander Jason "Jace" Alexander (born April 7, 1964) is an American former television director, actor, and convicted sex offender from New York City. In 2015, Alexander was arrested for the downloading and file sharing of child pornography, and later pled ...

. The film inaccurately portrayed Kerr as a right-handed pitcher when in fact he was a lefty.

References

External links