Sports' Forgotten Heroes

Ray Billows was one of golf’s greatest players of his generation. But, instead of trying to make a living as a professional, Billows decided to remain an amateur and compete as such. Of course, this was at a time when amateur golf was considered a bigger game than professional golf and when the U.S. Amateur was much larger in stature than it is today. In fact, over the years some of the game’s most legendary names have won the U.S. Amateur, guys like Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. Guys on the losing side of the final match are also quite historic: Ben Crenshaw, Tom Kite and John Cook. Making it to the finals of the U.S. Amateur is an accomplishment in itself. After days of surviving 36-hole stroke-play rounds and 36-holes of match play rounds, the last two men standing tee it up for a final day of 36-holes of match play. Ray Billows, who won 74% of all the U.S. Amateur match-play events he played, made it to the finals three times. Unfortunately, however, Billows never came out on top and is th

Ken Williams was one of baseball’s most feared sluggers of the 1920s. A star for the St. Louis Browns, Williams was a career .319 hitter who hit 196 home runs for his career while toiling in relative obscurity for a team that usually finished near the bottom of the standings. Williams, who never revealed his real age, was reportedly five-years older than what he claimed; and his career was shortened by the fact that he didn’t make for good until he was 30-years old. But, once he did make it, he made a big statement. In fact, after slugging 24 home runs and knocking in 117 to go along with a .347 average in 1921 – his first full season with the Browns, Williams backed that up with his best season. In 1922, Williams stopped Babe Ruth’s run on leading the American League in home runs, which he had done for four consecutive years. Williams led the A.L. with 39 round-trippers, lead the league with 155 RBI and hit .332. While Williams never topped Ruth again in the home run race, he still terrorized pitchers, and h

When you are competing for notoriety against the likes of Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx and Hank Greenberg, you have to be really good … great … to grab headlines. You need to hit a ton of homeruns. You need to rack up the RBI’s and you better have a terrific batting average to go along with all of that. Well, that’s exactly what Hal Trosky of the Cleveland Indians did. In fact, in his first four full years for the Indians, he averaged 33+ homeruns a season, over 136 RBI a year and his batting average over his first four years was .310. The guy could flat-out rake! In 1936, his best year, he hit .343 with 42 homeruns, 162 RBI and 405 total bases! His OPS was 1.026. In his first two full seasons, he played every inning of every game. Yet, he was a virtual unknown. Playing for a team that never contended, Trosky was relegated to playing in obscurity. At a time when baseball staged two all-star games a year, Trosky was never invited – a terrible injustice. How could a guy who hit the way he did, a guy who other teams

So many baseball players have had their careers cut short by injury. Some of those careers might be considered marginal, and others might be considered a tragedy based on the fact that the career was on an upward trajectory and headed for greatness. Ray Collins, who pitched for the Boston Red Sox from 1909 and into the 1915 season had one of those careers. His last full season, 1914, at the age of 27, Collins went 20-13 – this followed a campaign in which he went 19-8. But, 1915, Collins developed shoulder issues, went 4-7 and never pitched in the Majors again. And that’s a shame because Collins was a stalwart on the Boston pitching staff. He was a key ingredient in Boston’s 1912 World Series win over the New York Giants, and was able to hold his own against opposing pitchers the likes of Cy Young and opposing hitters the likes of Ty Cobb. Collins, who hails from Vermont, is also regarded as one of the best ever to suit-up for the University of Vermont. In fact, Collins was enshrined into the University’s Hal

Three golf champions. Three remarkable championships. Three very unique stories about three guys who had never won before: Mungo Park, 1874 Open Championship; David Brown, 1886 Open Championship; Jack Fleck, 1955 U.S. Open. Each have very unique stories and joining Sports’ Forgotten Heroes to help tell their stories is Connor Lewis from the TalkinGolf History podcast. Connor is one of the foremost golf historians around, created the Society of Golf Historians and is absolutely enthralled with the game and its history. His knowledge is second-to-none and the stories he recalls and relates are absolutely terrific. Mungo Park won the 1874 Open Championship after spending 20-years at sea. David Brown won the 1886 Championship after he had given up the game to become a roofer. More remarkable is the fact that he was actually working on a roof when he was convinced to come down, tee it up, and then went on to capture the Claret Jug. Jack Fleck, who was in Normandy on D-Day, ultimately became a professional golfer,

Hank O’Day is one of the most unique and important figures in the history of Major League Baseball. He broke into the game as a pitcher in the American Association for Toledo in 1884. He finished his career seven years later with the New York Giants. During his career, on occasion, O’Day stepped out onto the field as an umpire and when his playing days concluded, he turned to umpiring permanently. Well, sort of. In 1912, O’Day stepped back into the dugout as the manager of the Cincinnati Reds and went 75-78. He was let go after that one season. In 1914, the Chicago Cubs hired O’Day to be their manager and he went 78-76 and was again let go after just one season. So, O’Day put his mask back on and went back out on the field as a manager and ultimately spent the better part of three decades calling games. Major League Baseball officials consulted O’Day throughout his career and after his days on the field were over to discuss the rules of the game, what new rules should be instituted, which rules should be twea

Roy Sievers was one of the most clutch hitters in baseball history. In fact, Sievers, who won the 1949 American League Rookie of the Year with the St. Louis Browns, hit nearly a quarter of his 318 career homeruns in the eighth inning or later. But, becoming a clutch hitter almost didn’t happen. After winning the ROY in 1949, Sievers fell into a slump and that was followed by a devastating right-shoulder injury that almost cost him his career. In fact, during the four-year stretch of 1950 through 1953, Sievers played in just 247 games and hit just 19 homeruns. But, Browns owner Bill Veeck worked hard with Sievers to help him overcome the injury, and Sievers did just that. After Veeck sold the Browns, the team moved to Baltimore and Sievers was traded to the Washington Senators. Great news for Washington, not so good for the new Baltimore Orioles. Sievers, not only recovered, he became one of the most feared sluggers in baseball. Over the course of the next 10-years, Sievers connected for 275 homeruns including

In 1969, Major League Baseball expanded to four cities: San Diego, Montreal, Kansas City and Seattle. Montreal moved to Washington and became the Nationals and Seattle moved as well. Yes, there was a team in Seattle before the Mariners – the Seattle Pilots. The Pilots played in Seattle for just one season – 1969 – and at the end of spring training, 1970, they were officially sold and relocated to Milwaukee. But that one year in Seattle was a most interesting time. The Pilots were/are a study in what not to do when trying to establish a new team in a new city. Ownership of the team was not committed, the Stadium was ancient and not meant to host Major League Baseball, many of Seattle’s politicians and residents did not want a team and, getting back to the stadium, finding a location was utter chaos. The team itself was a typical expansion team going 64-98 in its first season. But they had a few players who people thought they could build around: Tommy Harper, Tommy Davis, Lou Pinella and Mike Hegan. But, befor

Dolf Luque won 194 games over the course of his 20-year Major League career. In 1923, he put together one of the greatest seasons ever for the Cincinnati Reds going 27-8. Luque, however, never again won 20-games in a season, but remained extraordinarily consistent. In fact, in 1925 he went 16-18 and finished in the top-15 (13th) in MVP voting and in 1933, at the age of 42, he went 8-2 for the New York Giants and finished 25th in MVP voting. In that year’s World Series, pitching in relief, Luque became the first pitcher from a Latin American country to win a World Series game. But like so many, the career of Luque is long forgotten, despite the fact that he is the 5th winningest pitcher in the rich history of the Cincinnati Reds. Even more surprising is the fact that he isn’t even mentioned is one of the most treasured pictorial histories of the Reds. How is this possible? Baseball historian Peter Gordon, a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) who has also written and researched about a

Jimmy Demaret won 31 times on the PGA TOUR … was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame … and was the first golfer to win the Masters three times. Yet, when the discussion of the game’s greats rolls around, Demaret’s accomplishments are severely overlooked. He is rarely, if ever, mentioned in the same breath as Hogan, Nelson and Snead. Never is he spoken about when the names Nicklaus, Palmer, Player and Watson are discussed. And when today’s commentators are discussing the names of Woods or Mickelson … or even Faldo or Norman … they hardly ever mention Jimmy Demaret for a comparison. And that’s a shame, because Jimmy Demaret’s 31 wins – as of this publishing – rank 16th all-time. His swing was regarded as one of the game’s best ever, silky-smooth. His wardrobe was incredible, perhaps only matched by the flair Greg Norman had. His friendship with Ben Hogan was unlike that of any other Hogan enjoyed and his place in the history of golf is certainly cemented as one of its all-time greats. Yet, for whatever re

The NHL expanded to two cities for the 1974-75 season: Kansas City and Washington. Washington, of course, has turned into one of the National Hockey League’s marquee teams having won the 2017-18 Stanley Cup Championship. Kansas City, however, is one of the least-known teams in the history of sports. The Scouts, a team that lasted just two years, were moved to Colorado and played six years as the Rockies before moving again to New Jersey where, as the Devils, they have won three Stanley Cup Championships. But long before they were the Devils, the Scouts played in Kansas City – and they played to an empty house almost every night they took the ice at the Kemper Arena. The Scouts, as managing general partner Ed Thompson noted, were virtually doomed from the beginning. The NHL expansion draft was not set up like it is today, where a new team like the Vegas Golden Knights could be competitive right from the start, the Scouts had to play their first eight games on the road because their building wasn’t ready, owner

Ron McDole had the great fortune of playing for two of football’s greatest defensive minds: Lou Saban and George Allen. McDole, who graduated from Nebraska before the Cornhuskers became such an elite program, played 18 years of professional football. He started off with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1961 and then moved on to the Houston Oilers in 1962. However, he suffered from migraine seizures while playing with Houston. The Oilers, fearing the worst, put McDole on the shelf and later cut him. After a failed tryout with the Minnesota Vikings, McDole wound up with Lou Saban and the Buffalo Bills in 1963 and became All-AFL. After eight seasons with the Bills, however, and after a falling out with their coach at the time, John Rauch, McDole was traded to the Washington Redskins and wound up playing for George Allen and the Skins for another eight seasons. McDole still holds the record for most interceptions by a defensive end, with 12, recovered 14 fumbles, scored two touchdowns and recorded three safeties. McDol

The Kentucky Colonels were one of the original franchises of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and one of just three teams to play all nine years of the ABA’s existence. However, when the ABA folded, the Colonels were not one of the teams to merge with the NBA. Owner John Y. Brown did not want to pay the NBA’s entry fee and instead took a payment from the NBA to disband the team; and only the New York (now Brooklyn) Nets, Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs survived and still exist today. What a shame, because the Colonels were one the ABA’s best. They won the ABA Championship in 1975, set the ABA record for most wins in a season (1971-72) with 68, and featured such Hall of Fame talent as Dan Issel, Artis Gillmore and Louie Dampier … and they were the first team that Hubie Brown ever coached. The Colonels, however, also had a revolving door of coaches and owners throughout their short existence, and that did affect their performance on the court, a performance of which should have led

One of the NBA’s original teams was the Rochester Royals. In fact, the Royals won an NBA Championship in 1951. But, Rochester was not an ideal location as the NBA was trying to grow and establish itself in larger cities. So, after the 1956-57 season, the Royals packed up and left for Cincinnati. Cincinnati welcomes the Royals with open arms – at least at first. Tragedy struck the team early on as young and upcoming star Maurice Stokes suffered a devastating head injury and that certainly affected the Royals performance on the floor. And while the tragedy of Stokes is a huge part of the Royals legacy in Cincinnati, they did enjoy some success on the court, particularly in the mid-1960s when they were led by one of the NBA’s all-time greats: Oscar Robertson. However, not even the “BIG O” could get the Royals over the hump and into the NBA Finals. The Royals made the Conference Finals in back-to-back season, 1963 and 1964, but like every other team in the NBA, they couldn’t get past the Boston Celtics. The Royal

2019 an honor long overdue was finally righted, the retirement of the No. 4 by the Detroit Red Wings, the sweater worn by Red Kelly, one the greatest to ever lace-up a pair of skates. Kelly, who joins me on this episode of Sports’ Forgotten Heroes, along with Waxy Gregoire, co-author of “The Red Kelly Story,” played over 12 years for the Red Wings and helped lead them out of doldrums into becoming one of the best teams in the NHL. The Red Wings were perennial losers until Red joined the team. While there, Detroit won four Stanley Cups. But a bitter battle between Jack Adams and Red resulted in Red being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. What kind of effect did he have on both teams? After his trade to Toronto, it took the Red Wings another 42 years to win the Cup. Red’s last year with Toronto was 1967, which also marks the last time Toronto won the Cup. In all, Red Kelly played on eight teams that won the Stanley Cup Championship, the most by any player to have never played for the Montreal Canadiens. More a

The NBA has played witness to several teams packing up an moving to new cities. The Lakers went from Minneapolis to Los Angeles, the Warriors moved from Philadelphia to San Francisco to Oakland where they play right now (they’re moving back to San Francisco), The Jazz moved from New Orleans to Utah … there have been many, but the one team few know the history of is the Atlanta Hawks. In fact, the Hawks moved to Atlanta from St. Louis, and when they played as the St. Louis Hawks, they were one of the NBA’s best. Actually, not only were they one of the best, they won the NBA Championship in 1958 and appeared in the NBA Finals four times in five years (1957, 58, 60 and 61); and had the ball bounced their way, the Hawks might have won another championship – or two? But winning and playing in St. Louis is only a part of the amazing story of this franchise. Had it not been for the Hawks, the great Boston Celtics teams of the 1950s and 1960s might have never happened. Bill Russell might have never stepped foot on th

While Jackie Robinson is known to so many for being the first man to cross the color barrier in Major League Baseball, few, very few, know who the first African-American was to be drafted by an NFL Team. George Taliaferro, a record-breaking running back who played ball at Indiana University, was drafted in the 13th round of the 1949 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, thus becoming the first African-American drafted to play in the NFL. But, he never suited up for the Bears. Instead, Taliaferro opted to play with the Los Angeles Dons of the AAFC. Dawn Knight, a school teacher in Indiana, was a student of George’s at Indiana University long after he retired from the game. Knight formed a life-long friendship with Taliaferro and early-on learned of his phenomenal exploits on the field for the Hoosiers. Having always wanted to write a book, Knight couldn’t pass up the opportunity to tell George’s life story … and what a story it is. So, she wrote a biography about George called, “Taliaferro: Breaking Barriers From th

George H.W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States, was not only a man who devoted his life to serving his country; but before he dedicated his life to such service, he studied at Yale University and while there, played firstbase for the Eli’s. While he wasn’t necessarily the greatest of hitters, in fact, he was what you would call a “light-hitting first baseman”, he did put the ball in play. His main contribution, however, was with his glove. In fact, his career fielding percentage is nearly 20-points higher than the first basemen he played against. Bush’s career at Yale spanned three seasons, 1946, 47 and 48, and the Yale teams of 47 and 48 played in the first two editions of the College World Series. Joining Sports’ Forgotten Heroes for this look at the college baseball career of Bush 41 is Herman Krabbenhoft, the author of a terrific and extremely in-depth biography of the President. Krabbenhoft, who self-published a quarterly baseball research journal for 10 years, has written many articles for SA

Every April the National Hockey League enters its second season, the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It is one of the most exciting times in sports. But unlike Major League Baseball, the National Football League or the National Basketball Association, hockey’s playoff season is actually named after a person, Frederick Arthur Stanley. But why? Who was the man who later became known as “Lord Stanley”? Why is the trophy awarded to the champion team in the NHL named the “Stanley Cup”?  Author Kevin Shea, who, to date, has written 17 books about hockey including, “Lord Stanley, The Man Behind the Cup,” (he co-authored this book with John Jason Wilson) returns to Sports’ Forgotten Heroes for an in-depth conversation about Lord Stanley and Stanley’s introduction to the game; and how he was convinced to donate a sterling silver cup to the amateur hockey champions of Canada. Hint: Stanley’s daughter, the Lady Isobel Gathorne-Hardy, played a big role. Lord Stanley, who had never played hockey and saw only a few games, was in Can

Gus Dorais is one of college football’s all-time greatest players and coaches. He was the first player in the history of Notre Dame to be named an All-American and was actually given the opportunity to coach the Fighting Irish. However, his best friend and college roommate needed the job and Dorais had another offer. So, Dorais took the other job – head coach at Dubuque – and his best friend, Knute Rockne, took the job at Notre Dame and the rest, as they say, is history. Rockne went on to become one of the game’s greatest coaches having built Notre Dame into one of the game’s most legendary programs. Meanwhile, Dorais, working at schools of less notoriety worked a lot of magic as well. However, Dubuque, Gonzaga, and the University of Detroit were just not on the same level as Notre Dame. One can only wonder what would have happened had Dorais decided to stay in South Bend. What would have happened to Rockne? Would Notre Dame have become the power it did? One thing’s for sure, Dorais was a terrific quarterback