Pre-War Players Who Were Incredible Athletes - Non-HOFers

[packs]

Greasy Neale is another guy that doesn't get mentioned a lot. From 1917 to 1919 he managed to play in the majors for the Reds and in the professional football league in Ohio in the same season. One of which was spent on the 1917 Canton Bulldogs coached by Jim Thorpe.

He was a member of the 1919 World Series Reds team that beat the Black Sox and eventually wound up in the College and Professional Football Halls of Fame.

[packs]

Another obscure guy I learned about is Jim Riley. He only played 6 major league games, 4 for the 1921 Browns and 2 more for the Senators in 1923. But I believe Jim Riley has the distinction of being the only major league baseball player to also win a Stanley Cup, which he did in 1917 as a member of the Seattle Metropolitans who defeated the Montreal Canadiens.

[jingram058]

Van Lingle Mungo was supposedly an incredibly fast runner. So was Hans Lobert.

[oldjudge]

George Halas, Billy Sunday. Sunday was supposedly the fastest man in the NL when he played.

[esd10]

Cy seymour who was one of the best hitters and pitchers of the deadball era

[Michael B]

Edmund Minahan - Pitched two games for the Cincinnati Reds in 1907, losing both. Originally a track athlete at Georgetown. He finished 4th in the 60m dash at the 1900 Olympics in Paris. He also ran in the heats of the 100m but did not advance to the finals - 4th in heat 2 of 3. He later played baseball at Manhattan College. Played minor league ball for Birmingham in the SA, Toledo in the AA, independent league in Vermont. He and Thorpe are the only two Olympians who played in the major leagues prior to baseball becoming a medal sport.