Harry Morgan Gowdy (August 24, 1889 – August 1, 1966) was an American

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

who played in the major leagues for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

and the

Boston Braves The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta. During it ...

.Hank Gowdy at Baseball Reference
/ref> He was a member of the "Miracle" Boston Braves. He was the first active major league player to enlist for service in

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 ...

, and the only player to fight in both World War I and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Background

Gowdy was born in Columbus, Ohio. He graduated from Columbus North High School in 1908. He and his wife Pauline had no children. A nephew, Pat Bonaventura, is completing a book about Gowdy's life.100 years ago, Hank Gowdy returned to Columbus
Retrieved May 12, 2019

Major League career

Gowdy made his major league debut with

John McGraw John Joseph McGraw (April 7, 1873 – February 25, 1934) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player and manager who was for almost thirty years manager of the New York Giants. He was also the third baseman of the pennant-winning 1890 ...

's New York Giants in

1910 Events January * January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...

, before being traded to Boston the next year. He did not see much playing time and spent the majority of the 1913 season with the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

in the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

. In

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

, Gowdy became the Braves regular catcher in a year that saw them go from last place to first in two months, becoming the first team to win a pennant after being in last place on the Fourth of July. In the

1914 World Series The 1914 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's 1914 season. The 11th edition of the World Series, it was played between the American League champion and defending World Series champion Philadelphia Athletics and t ...

, he had a .545 batting average, including the only

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

of the series, in the historic upset of Connie Mack's

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oaklan ...

. Gowdy had 50,000 fans celebrate him in a parade in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio that October. Gowdy saw more playing time in subsequent seasons, but when World War I broke out, he became the first major league player to enlist. He saw considerable action in France with the 166th Infantry Regiment of the

Ohio National Guard The Ohio National Guard comprises the Ohio Army National Guard and the Ohio Air National Guard. The commander-in-chief of the Ohio Army National Guard is the governor of the U.S. state of Ohio. If the Ohio Army National Guard is called to fede ...

, including some of the worst trench fighting in the war. When he returned in , he got his old job as catcher back, but not before going on a speaking tour of the United States, detailing his war experiences. Four years later, he was traded back to the Giants, where he played in the

1923 Events January–February * January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory). * January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...

and

1924 World Series The 1924 World Series was the championship series of the 1924 Major League Baseball season. A best-of-seven playoff, the series was played between the American League (AL) pennant winner Washington Senators and the National League (NL) pennan ...

, but his heroics weren't repeated, as he committed a costly error which led to the game-winning run in Game 7 of the 1924 series against the Washington Senators. In , the Giants released him. Four years later, he made a comeback with the Braves, albeit with very limited playing time. He then became a coach with the Giants, Braves, and the

Reds Reds may refer to: General * Red (political adjective), supporters of Communism or socialism * Reds (January Uprising), a faction of the Polish insurrectionists during the January Uprising in 1863 * USSR (or, to a lesser extent, China) during th ...

. Later he left his coaching job to serve as an Army captain in World War II at the age of 53 and is believed to be the only big league baseball player to serve in both world wars.

Career statistics

In a seventeen-year major league career, Gowdy played in 1,050

games A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (such ...

, accumulating 738

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

in 2,735 at bats for a .270 career batting average along with 21

s and 322

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

. He ended his career with a .975

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...

. Gowdy twice led the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

caught stealing In baseball, a runner is charged, and the fielders involved are credited, with a time caught stealing when the runner attempts to advance or lead off from one base to another without the ball being batted and then is tagged out by a fielder whil ...

percentage. His 52.58% career caught stealing percentage ranks him sixth in major league history. Gowdy's reputation as a defensive stand out is enhanced because of the era in which he played. In the

Deadball Era In baseball, the dead-ball era was the period from around 1900 to the emergence of Babe Ruth as a power hitter in 1919, when he hit a then-major league record 29 home runs; only three players since 1890 had even hit 20. This era was characterized ...

, catchers played a huge defensive role, given the large number of

bunt Bunt may refer to: * Bunt (community), an elite social group from Karnataka, India * Bunt (baseball), a batting technique in baseball * Bunt (sail), a part of a ship's sail * Bunt Island, island in Antarctica * The Bunt, nickname of the Bunting ...

s and

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

attempts, as well as the difficulty of handling the spitball pitchers who dominated pitching staffs. Hank Gowdy Reds

Coaching career

When the United States entered World War II, Gowdy enlisted again at the age of 53, and was promoted to major. In December 1944, he returned to

Fort Benning Fort Benning is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama–Georgia border. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees and civilian employees ...

, where he served as Chief Athletic Officer. The baseball field at Fort Benning bears his name. He returned to coaching in with the Reds, and he even served as manager for four games at the end of the season. By 1948, he had retired from baseball.

Unsuccessful Hall of Fame bid

Gowdy has the record for most unsuccessful Hall of Fame induction attempts, without ever having been enshrined in the Hall. While current custom limits the times a player can appear on the ballot to 10, Gowdy received votes 17 years, never being elected to the Hall of Fame (

Edd Roush Edd J. Roush (May 8, 1893 – March 21, 1988) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a center fielder from 1913 to 1931, most prominently as a member of the Cincinnati Reds where he was a two ...

has the record for most Hall attempts with 19, but he was later enshrined by the Veteran's Committee). Gowdy died at his home in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

at age 76.Hank Gowdy New York Times Obituary at www.thedeadballera.com
/ref>

Gowdy Field Gowdy Field is a former garden, athletic field, landfill, and now business park located in Columbus, Ohio. The land was originally annexed in 1921. The site is situated on the west side of Olentangy River Road near the Goodale interchange, just w ...

in Columbus is named in his honor.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gowdy, Hank 1889 births 1966 deaths New York Giants (NL) players New York Giants (NL) coaches Boston Rustlers players Boston Braves players Boston Braves coaches Cincinnati Reds managers Cincinnati Reds coaches Cleveland Indians scouts Lancaster Lanks players Dallas Giants players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Columbus Senators players Rochester Red Wings players United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army personnel of World War II Major League Baseball catchers Baseball players from Columbus, Ohio United States Army officers Ohio National Guard personnel