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Penn Notables

Distinguished Penn Athletes Professional Baseball Players Who Attended Penn

This exhibit was created in 2005 by Mary D. McConaghy and by Michael T. Woods, University Archives Summer Research Fellow and an undergraduate at Penn State University, from research compiled by Cappy Gagnon and other members of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR).

Note: This exhibit is not actively maintained, but suggested updates are always welcome through our contact form.

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Introduction

In its early years, the game of baseball was purely amateur, with no paid players. Because the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first salaried team in 1869, they are considered the first professional team. Two years later the National Association of Professional Baseball Players was established as the first professional baseball league. The National League became the first major league in 1876.

The earliest baseball played at the University can be traced to at least the Civil War, the first Baseball Club at the University dating to 1865. Penn students organized their first all-University team in 1867, and played their first intercollegiate baseball game in 1874.

Professional ball players who attended the University of Pennsylvania, either before or after their baseball careers, are listed here. They are arranged chronologically by the year of their professional Major League debut.

1875-1900

Albert John Bushong (Doc) (1856-1908), D.D.S. 1882

  • Major Leagues: 1875 to 1890. Debuted on July 19, 1875 for the Brooklyn Atlantics. Also played for the Philadelphia Athletics, Worcester Ruby Legs, Cleveland Blues, Saint Louis Browns, Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers and Brooklyn Bridegrooms
  • Penn Teams: none
  • Position: catcher, bats and throws right-handed
Cyrus Alban Allen (Jack) (1855-1915), D.D.S. 1880

  • Major Leagues: 1879 only. Debuted May 1, 1879 for the Syracuse Stars. Also played for the Cleveland Blues in the same year
  • Penn Teams: none documented
  • Position: third-baseman, bats and throws right-handed
Thomas Francis Gunning (1862-1931), M.D. 1891

  • Major Leagues: 1884 to 1889. Debuted July 26, 1884 for the Boston Beaneaters (later the Braves). Also played for the Philadelphia Quakers and the Philadelphia Athletics
  • Penn Teams: none
  • Position: catcher, bats and throws right-handed
Elwood Otto Wagenhurst, c. 1888
Elwood Otto Wagenhurst (Woody) (1863-1946), Law School Class of 1892

  • Major Leagues: 1888 only. Debuted June 25, 1888 for the Philadelphia Quakers
  • Penn Teams: Captain of varsity baseball team, 1890 and 1891; varsity football player, 1888, and coach, 1888-1891
  • Position: third-baseman, batting and throwing arm unknown
University baseball team, 1889
Sumner Sallade Bowman (1867-1954), L.L.B. 1891

  • Major Leagues:1890 to 1891. Debuted June 11, 1890 for the Philadelphia Phillies. Also played for the Pittsburgh Alleghenies and Philadelphia Athletics
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1889, 1890 and 1891
  • Position: pitcher/outfielder, bats and throws left-handed
University baseball team, 1890
Thomas H. Cahill (1868-1894), Medical School Class of 1891

  • Major Leagues: 1891 only. Debuted April 9, 1891 for the Louisville Colonels
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team 1889 and 1890
  • Position: catcher, batting and throwing arm unknown
University baseball team, 1890
James S. Darragh (1866-1939), D.D.S. 1891

  • Major Leagues: 1891 only. Debuted May 13, 1891 for the Louisville Colonels
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1890 and 1891
  • Position: outfielder, batting and throwing arm unknown
William McLain Thompson, c. 1940
William McLain Thompson (1870-1962), D.D.S. 1897

  • Major Leagues: 1892 only. Debuted July 9, 1892 for the Pittsburgh Pirates
  • Penn Teams: none documented
  • Position: pitcher, bats and throws right-handed
University baseball team, 1893
Mark A. McGrillis (1872-1935), possibly College Class of 1894

  • Major Leagues: 1892 only. Debuted September 17, 1892 for the St. Louis Browns
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1893
  • Position: third-baseman, batting and throwing arm unknown
Jesse Hall Allen (Pete) (1868-1946), M.D. 1897

  • Major Leagues: 1893 only. Debuted August 4, 1893 for the Cleveland Spiders
  • Penn Teams: none documented as a player; varsity basketball coach, 1897
  • Position: catcher, bats and throws right-handed
University baseball team, 1894
Andrew Cottrell Boswell (1874-1936), Chemical Engineering Class of 1896

  • Major Leagues: 1895 only. Debuted May 10, 1895 for the New York Giants. Also played for the Washington Senators
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1893 and 1894
  • Position: pitcher/first-baseman, batting and throwing arm unknown
University baseball team, 1893
Daniel George Coogan (Little Danny) (1875-1942), College Class of 1895

  • Major Leagues: 1895 only. Debuted April 25, 1895 for the Washington Senators
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1892, 1893 and 1894; varsity baseball coach, 1904-1906
  • Position: catcher/short-stop/outfielder/third-baseman, batting and throwing arm unknown
Frank Joseph Sexton (1872-1938), M.D. 1898

  • Major Leagues: 1895 only. Debuted June 21, 1895 for the Boston Beaneaters (later the braves)
  • Penn Teams: none documented
  • Position: pitcher, batting and throwing arm unknown
Harvey Fetterhoff Smith, c. 1930
Harvey Fetterhoff Smith (1871-1962), M.D. 1897

  • Major Leagues: 1896 only. Debuted August 19, 1896 for the Washington Senators
  • Penn Teams: none documented
  • Position: third-baseman, bats and throws right-handed
Roy Allen Thomas, c. 1894
Roy Allen Thomas (1874-1959), B.S. 1894

  • Major Leagues: 1899 to 1911. Debuted April 14, 1899 for the Philadelphia Phillies. Also played briefly for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Doves
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1892, 1893 and 1894; coach, 1903 and 1909-1919
  • Position: outfielder, bats and throws left-handed
William John Goeckel, c. 1915
William John Goeckel (Billy) (1871-1922), College Class of 1895, L.L.B. 1896

  • Major Leagues: 1899 only. Debuted August 10, 1899 for the Philadelphia Phillies
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team 1893, 1894 and 1895
  • Position: first-baseman, bats and throws right-handed

1901-1925

John Francis Hayden (Jack) (1880-1942), Medical School Class of 1901, Dental School Class of 1902

  • Major Leagues: 1901, 1906 and 1908. Debuted April 26, 1901 for the Philadelphia Athletics. Also played for the Boston Pilgrims and the Chicago Cubs
  • Penn Teams: none documented
  • Position: outfielder, bats and throws left-handed
Henry Joseph Thielman, 1906
Henry Joseph Thielman (1880-1942), D.D.S. 1906

  • Major Leagues: 1902 and 1903. Debuted April 17, 1902, for the New York Giants. Also played for the Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Suberbas
  • Penn Teams: not documented as playing varsity sports; varsity baseball coach in 1906
  • Position: outfielder/pitcher, bats and throws right-handed
Andrew James Coakley (a.k.a. Jack McAllister in 1902) (1882-1963), Dental School student in 1906

  • Major Leagues: 1902 to 1911. Debuted September 17, 1902, for the Philadelphia Athletics. Also played for the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs and New York Highlanders
  • Penn Teams: none documented
  • Position: pitcher, bats left-handed and throws right-handed
Louis Bruce, yearbook entry, 1904
Louis R. Bruce (1877-1968), D.D.S. 1904

  • Major Leagues: 1904 only. Debuted June 22, 1904, for the Philadelphia Athletics
  • Penn Teams: not on any varsity baseball team; captain of his class baseball teams
  • Position: outfielder/pitcher/second-baseman/third-baseman, bats left-handed and throws right-handed
University baseball team, 1903
Ralph Grant Caldwell (Lefty) (1884-1969), B.S. 1907

  • Major Leagues: 1904 and 1905. Debuted September 10, 1904, for the Philadelphia Phillies
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1903 and 1904
  • Position: pitcher, bats and throws left-handed
John Wesley Knight (Schoolboy) (1885-1965), Dental School student 1912, n.g.

  • Major Leagues: 1905 to 1913. Debuted April 14, 1905 for the Philadelphia Athletics. Also played for the Boston Red Sox, New York Highlanders, Washington Senators and New York Yankees
  • Penn Teams: none documented
  • Position: short-stop/third-baseman/second-baseman/first-baseman/outfielder, bats and throws right-handed
Francis Patrick Leary, 1900
Francis Patrick Leary (1881-1907), College Class of 1903 and L.L.B. 1904

  • Major Leagues: 1907 only. Debuted April 30, 1907, for the Cincinnati Reds
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1900 and 1901; Law School class baseball teams in 1902 and 1903; varsity track, 1900 and 1901
  • Position: pitcher, batting arm unknown, throws right-handed
Stephen Douglas Yerkes, 1912
Stephen Douglas Yerkes (1888-1971), Wharton School Class of 1909

  • Major Leagues: 1909 to 1916. Debuted September 29, 1909, for the Boston Red Sox. Also played for the Pittsburgh Rebels and Chicago Cubs
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1906
  • Position: second-baseman/short-stop/third-baseman, bats and throws right-handed
Varsity baseball team, 1908
Simon Francis Pauxtis (Si) (1885-1961), LL.B. 1910

  • Major Leagues: 1909 only. Debuted September 18, 1909, for the Cincinnati Reds
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1908; varsity football team, 1907
  • Position: catcher, bats and throws right-handed
Wallace Luther Shultz, 1912
Wallace Luther Shultz (Toots) (1888-1959), Class of 1911

  • Major Leagues: 1911 and 1912. Debuted May 5, 1911 for the Philadelphia Phillies
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1909 and 1910
  • Position: pitcher, bats and throws right-handed
Harry Miller Imlay, c. 1912
Harry Miller Imlay (1889-1948), D.D.S. 1912

  • Major Leagues: 1913 only. Debuted July 7, 1913 for the Philadelphia Phillies
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1911 and 1912; also pitcher for his freshman baseball team
  • Position: pitcher, bats and throws right-handed
Pius Louis Schwert, 1915
Pius Louis Schwert (Pi) (1892-1941), B.S. in Economics 1914

  • Major Leagues: 1914 and 1915. Debuted October 6, 1914 for the New York Yankees
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1912, 1913 and 1914 (team captain in 1914); Class baseball team in 1912
  • Position: catcher, bats and throws right-handed
John Lester Fluhrer (Jack) (a.k.a. William G. Morris) (1894-1915), Wharton Class of 1918

  • Major Leagues: 1915 only. Debuted September 5, 1915 for the Chicago Cubs
  • Penn Teams: Class of 1918 freshman baseball team, 1915
  • Position: outfielder, bats and throws right-handed
Varsity baseball team, 1917
Adam William Swigler (Doc) (1895-1975), D.D.S. 1917

  • Major Leagues: 1917 only. Debuted September 25, 1917 for the New York Giants
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1915, 1916 and 1917; also on varsity football, basketball and track teams; freshman baseball coach, 1918
  • Position: pitcher, bats and throws right-handed
Walter Jacob Bernhardt, 1917
Walter Jacob Bernhardt (1893-1958), D.D.S. 1918

  • Major Leagues: 1918 only.Debuted July 16, 1918 for the New York Yankees
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1917 and 1918
  • Position: pitcher, bats and throws right-handed
Firman Newton Warwick (Bill) (1897-1984), B.S. in Chemical Engineering 1920

  • Major Leagues: 1921 to 1926. Debuted July 18, 1921 for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Also played for the St. Louis Cardinals
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team 1918, 1919 and 1920
  • Position: catcher, bats and throws right-handed
Joseph Howard Berry, Jr., detail from varsity baseball team photograph, 1917
Joseph Howard Berry, Jr. (Nig) (1894-1976), B.S. in Economics 1919

  • Major Leagues: 1921 and 1922. Debuted July 18, 1921 for the New York Giants
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1916 and 1917 (team captain in 1917); also All-American fullbaack on varsity football team and intercollegiate track champion, 1915-1918
  • Position: second-baseman, bats both left and right-handed, throws right-handed
Walter Henry Huntzinger, 1922
Walter Henry Huntzinger (Shakes) (1899-1981), Wharton Class of 1922

  • Major Leagues: 1923 to 1926. Debuted September 19, 1923 for the New York Giants. Also played for the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1920, 1921 and 1922; Class of 1922 freshman baseball team, 1919; varsity football team, 1920, 1921 and 1922
  • Position: pitcher, bats and throws right-handed
Edward Stephen Farrell, in New York Giants uniform, c. 1930
Edward Stephen Farrell (Doc) (1901-1966), College Class of 1923, D.D.S. 1925

  • Major Leagues: 1925 to 1935. Debuted June 15, 1925 for the New York Giants. Also played for the Boston Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team in 1923, 1924 and 1925 (team captain in 1925); Class of 1923 freshman team in1920; also varsity football team, 1920, 1921 and 1922
  • Position: short-stop/third-baseman/second-baseman/first-baseman, bats and throws right-handed

1926-1950

Carlton Overton Tremper, 1927
Carlton Overton Tremper (1906-1996), B.S. in Economics 1927

  • Major Leagues: 1927 and 1928. Debuted June 16, 1927 for the Brooklyn Robins
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1925, 1926 and 1927 (team captain in 1927); Class of 1927 freshman team, 1924
  • Position: outfielder, bats and throws right-handed
Varsity baseball team, 1931
James Niels Peterson (Jim) (1908-1975), B.S. in Economics 1931

  • Major Leagues: 1931 to 1937. Debuted July 9, 1931 for the Philadelphia Athletics. Also played for the Brooklyn Dodgers
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1928, 1929, 1930 and 1931; varsity basketball, 1928-1931; varsity football, 1928
  • Position: pitcher, bats and throws right-handed
Varsity baseball team, 1931
Walter Thomas Masters (1907-1992), Wharton Class of 1931

  • Major Leagues: 1931 to 1939. Debuted July 9, 1931 for the Washington Senators. Also played baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies (1936) and the Philadelphia Athletics (1939), as well as professional football, 1936, and 1943-1944
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1929, 1930 and 1931; Class of 1931 freshman team, 1928; varsity football, 1929-1931
  • Position: pitcher, bats and throws right-handed
Eugene Joseph Connell
Eugene Joseph Connell (Gene) (1906-1937), B.S. in Economics 1928, Law School Class of 1931

  • Major Leagues: 1931 only. Debuted July 4, 1931 for the Philadelphia Phillies
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1925, 1926, 1927 and 1928; varsity basketball, 1925, 1926, 1927 and 1928
  • Position: catcher, bats and throws right-handed
Varsity baseball team, 1931
John Lewis Jackson (1909-1956), Wharton Class of 1933

  • Major Leagues: 1933. Debuted June 20, 1933 for the Philadelphia Phillies
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1931, 1932 and 1933; varsity basketball, 1931, 1932 and 1933
  • Position: pitcher, bats and throws right-handed
Donald Stafford Kellett (Red) (1909-1970), B.S. in Economics 1934

  • Major Leagues: 1934 only. Debuted July 2, 1934 for the Boston Red Sox
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1931, 1932, 1933 and 1934 (team captain in 1934); Class of 1934 freshman baseball team captain, 1931; Director of Freshman Athletics and then head basketball coach, 1941-1947
  • Position: short-stop/second-baseman/third-baseman, bats and throws right-handed
Bernard Carl Kuczynski, c. 1945
Bernard Carl Kuczynski (Bert) (1920-1997), B.S. in Education 1943, M.S. in Education 1949

  • Major Leagues: 1943 only. Debuted June 2, 1943 for the Philadelphia Athletics. Also played professional football, 1943 and 1946
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1942 and 1943; varsity football team, 1941, 1942 and 1943; assistant football coach, 1946
  • Position: pitcher, bats and throws right-handed
Jerome Francis McCarthy, c. 1948
Jerome Francis McCarthy (1923-1965), B.S. in Economics 1948

  • Major Leagues: 1948 only. Debuted June 19, 1948 for the St. Louis Browns
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1947 and 1948 (captain in 1948); varsity football, 1942 and 1947-1948
  • Position: first-baseman, bats and throws left-handed
Thomas Herbert Upton (Tom) (1926-2008), V-12 Navy Program, 1945-1946

  • Major Leagues: 1950 to 1952. Debuted April 19, 1950 for the St. Louis Browns. Also played for the Washington Senators
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1946
  • Position: short-stop/second-baseman/third-baseman, bats and throws right-handed
Joseph Ambrose Murray (Joe) (1920-2001), Law School Class of 1948

  • Major Leagues: 1950 only. Debuted August 17, 1950 for the Philadelphia Athletics
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team
  • Position: pitcher, bats and throws left-handed

1951-present

Eric Chapman Rodin (1930-1991), Wharton Class of 1953

  • Major Leagues: 1954 only. Debuted September 7, 1954 for the New York Giants
  • Penn Teams: none known
  • Position: outfielder, bats and throws right-handed
Grover David Powell, baseball card, 1964
Grover David Powell (1940-1985), Class of 1962

  • Major Leagues: 1963 only. Debuted July 13, 1963 for the New York Mets
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1960, 1961 and 1962
  • Position: pitcher, bats and throws left-handed
Steven Thomas Adkins, 1986
Steven Thomas Adkins (born 1964), B.S. in Engineering 1986

  • Major Leagues: 1990 only. Debuted September 12, 1990 for the New York Yankees
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986
  • Position: pitcher, bats right-handed and throws left-handed
Douglas Metunwa Glanville (born 1970), B.S. in Engineering 1992

  • Major Leagues: 1996 to 2005. Debuted June 9, 1996 for the Chicago Cubs. Also played for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Texas Rangers
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1990, 1991, 1992
  • Position: outfielder, bats and throws right-handed
Mark DeRosa (born 1975), Wharton Class of 1997

  • Major Leagues: 1998 to 2005. Debuted September 2, 1998 for the Atlanta Braves. Also played for the Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants, Washington Nationals, and Toronto Blue Jays before retiring in November 2013.
  • Penn Teams: varsity baseball team, 1994, 1995, 1996; varsity football, 1993, 1994 and 1995
  • Position: short-stop/second-baseman/third-baseman/first-baseman/designated hitter/outfielder, bats and throws right-handed