Raymond Vincent "Nig" Borleske (January 8, 1887 – January 2, 1957) 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 ...

player and

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

player and coach. Borleske was one of a number of American athletes in the first half of the 20th century to be nicknamed "Nig", being referred to as such in newspaper reports as early as September 1907. Borleske was born in

Albert Lea, Minnesota Albert Lea is a city in Freeborn County, in southern Minnesota. It is the county seat. Its population was 18,492 at the 2020 census. The city is at the junction of Interstates 35 and 90, about south of the Twin Cities. It is on the shores of ...

. He played

for the Fighting Missionaries of

Whitman College Whitman College is a private liberal arts college in Walla Walla, Washington. The school offers 53 majors and 33 minors in the liberal arts and sciences, and it has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9:1. Whitman was the first college in the Pacifi ...

Walla Walla, Washington Walla Walla is a city in Walla Walla County, Washington, where it is the largest city and county seat. It had a population of 34,060 at the 2020 census, estimated to have decreased to 33,927 as of 2021. The population of the city and its two su ...

, from 1907 to 1909. He played in minor league baseball from 1910 to 1912, pitching for two teams in the

Western Canada League The Western Canada League was the name of three different baseball circuits in Minor League Baseball that operated between 1907 and 1921. The first instance of the league was a Class D circuit that played only in 1907 with four teams sponsored b ...

. He served as the head football coach at Whitman College from 1915 to 1946. Borleske was the mayor of Walla Walla from 1948 to 1954. He died in Walla Walla on January 2, 1957, of a heart attack. He was the manager of the Marcus Whitman Hotel there at the time of his death. Borleske's brother, Stanley Borleske, was also a college athlete and coach.

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Borleske, Vincent 1887 births 1957 deaths American football halfbacks Baseball pitchers Brandon Angels players Whitman Blues men's basketball coaches Whitman Fighting Missionaries football coaches Whitman Fighting Missionaries football players Mayors of places in Washington (state) Politicians from Walla Walla, Washington People from Albert Lea, Minnesota Players of American football from Spokane, Washington Baseball players from Spokane, Washington Basketball coaches from Washington (state)