Maurice F. "Jack" Mealey (April 28, 1899 – August 1971) was a long-time minor league baseball catcher, who also managed in the minor leagues and served as president of the

Sooner State League The Sooner State League was a Class D (baseball), Class D level minor league baseball league that operated from 1947 in sports, 1947 through 1957 in sports, 1957. The league owners kept it alive in 1958, anticipating a return to play in 1959. Howev ...

for five years. He was born in

Glen Carbon, Pennsylvania Glen Carbon is a populated place in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. Notable person *Jack Mealey Maurice F. "Jack" Mealey (April 28, 1899 – August 1971) was a long-time minor league baseball catcher, who also managed in th ...

Playing career

Mealey began his professional career in 1922, playing for the Okmulgee Drillers and

Joplin Miners The Joplin Miners was the primary name of the minor league baseball team in Joplin, Missouri that played for 49 seasons between 1901 and 1954. Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees Mickey Mantle and Whitey Herzog played for Joplin. Professional baseba ...

, hitting a combined .248 in 73 games. In 1923, he played for Okmulgee again, upping his batting average to .264 in 70 games. From 1924 to 1926, he played for the

Asheville Tourists The Asheville Tourists are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Asheville, North Carolina. Asheville teams have played under the Tourists moniker in differe ...

, hitting .276 in 99 games in 1924, .304 with a career high 13 home runs in 103 games in 1925 and .258 with 10 home runs in 113 games in 1926. Back with Okmulgee in 1927, he hit .337 with 10 home runs in 111 games.Minor League Statistics and History
a
Baseball-Reference.com
/ref> He split 1928 between the

Independence Producers The Independence Producers were a minor league baseball team based in Independence, Kansas, United States, that played from 1921 to 1925 and from 1928 to 1932. From 1921 to 1924, they played in the Southwestern League, and in 1925 they played in t ...

and

Dallas Steers The Dallas Rangers were a high-level minor league baseball team located in Dallas, Texas from 1958 to 1964. The team was known by the Dallas Rangers name in 1958, 1959, and 1964 and as the Dallas-Fort Worth Rangers from 1960 to 1963. It played in ...

, hitting .269 in 65 games overall, and garnering a tryout with the White Sox in the fall. With the Steers again in 1929, he hit only .239 in 72 games, but according to The Pittsburgh Press he "had a lot to do with that club's winning the Texas League pennant", and had a .983

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 ...

. In 1930, Mealey played for the

Wichita Aviators The Wichita Aviators were a professional indoor football team that played in the American Professional Football League (APFL). The Aviators played their home games in Britt Brown Arena at the Kansas Coliseum during the team's first season (20 ...

, hitting .279 in 84 games, earning a spot on the Western League All-Star team. ''

The Pittsburgh Press ''The Pittsburgh Press'' (formerly ''The Pittsburg Press'' and originally ''The Evening Penny Press'') was a major afternoon daily newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1884 to 1992. At one time, the ''Press'' was the second larg ...

'' described him in 1931 as a "Western League luminary", who had "earned a high reputation in the Western League for his cleverness and cool-headedness.... it is in gauging just what is best for his battery partner that Mealey shines." Mealey made it to the Major Leagues in 1931 with the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

, but did not officially play in any games for almost two months. On June 13, Mealey was released by the Pirates. He played the rest of the season with the San Francisco Seals, hitting .242. With the

San Antonio Indians The San Antonio Indians were a minor league baseball team based in San Antonio, Texas, that played from 1929 to 1932 in the Texas League. They played their home games at League Park. Notable players include Ray Grimes, Wilbur Cooper, Sam Leslie, Ja ...

in 1932, Mealey hit .246 in 84 games. From 1933 to 1936 he played for the

Galveston Buccaneers The Galveston Buccaneers were a Minor League Baseball team that existed from 1931 to 1937. Based in Galveston, Texas, United States, they played in the Texas League. Their home ballpark was Moody Stadium. Notable players include Del Pratt, Beau Be ...

and later became a

player-manager A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the s ...

in 1935. From 1933 to 1934 he served as assistant to the previous coach, Billy Webb. He hit only .218 in 1933. In 1934, he upped his batting average to .233, and in 1935 he raised it again to .281. Mealey resigned from his position as manager on after being suspended for a melee on May 29, 1936, where Mealey tried to help teammate Jack Jakucki fight several fans in the stands. Mealey finished the 1936 season with the

Tulsa Oilers The Tulsa Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and play in the ECHL. The Oilers played their home games at the Tulsa Convention Center until 2008 when they moved into the new BOK Center. For many years, the Tuls ...

, hitting a combined .270 in 56 games that season. He played for the

Jackson Senators The Jackson Senators was the name of at least two minor league baseball teams that played in Jackson, Mississippi. First team The first known Jackson Senators club competed in the Delta League in 1904. Jackson also played as a member of the Cott ...

and

Augusta Tigers The Augusta Tigers was the primary moniker of the minor league baseball teams in Augusta, Georgia. Beginning in 1884, Augusta has hosted numerous teams in various leagues. History The Augusta Yankees were a South Atlantic League minor league ba ...

in 1937, hitting a combined .270 in 87 games. With the Oilers again in 1938, he hit only .173 in 33 games. He didn't play professionally in 1939, although he played from 1940 to 1942 for the

Muskogee Reds Muskogee Reds refers to three baseball teams based in Muskogee, Oklahoma, United States. The first team played in the Missouri Valley League in 1905. The next played in the Western Association in 1917, and the third played in the Western Association ...

. In 1940, he hit .228 in 80 games, in 1941 he hit .268 in 76 games, and in 1942 he hit .299 in 31 games. He retired from professional baseball after 1942, at age 43. Overall, Mealey spent 20 seasons in the minors, hitting .263 in 1,538 games. In 4,857 at-bats, he collected 1,279 hits – 263 of which were doubles, 52 of which were triples and 77 of which were home runs.

Managerial career

Mealey spent a few years as a player-manager.

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mealey, Jack 1899 births 1971 deaths Minor league baseball managers Sportspeople from Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania Baseball executives Okmulgee Drillers players Joplin Miners players Asheville Tourists players Independence Producers players Dallas Steers players Wichita Aviators players San Francisco Seals (baseball) players San Antonio Indians players Galveston Buccaneers players Jackson Senators players Augusta Tigers players Muskogee Reds players