Eddie Collins
Eddie Collins CC 1907 is a member of the baseball hall of fame, and considered by many to have been the greatest second baseman to have ever played the game. He was a member of the "$100,000" infield of the Philadelphia Athletics, and was one of the "clean" players on the 1919 "Black Sox" team. Collins was the 1914 AL MVP and was on 4 world series championship teams.
Collins, a "student of political economy and psychology... was a cheery, unassuming fellow, always ready for a rollicking time, careless about his work, yet gifted with a quick mind and an alertness which easily put him above the average student, frank, good-natured and withal one of the greatest athletes Columbia or any other college has ever had." [1]
Collins made the varsity baseball team his freshman year and was a stand-out on an otherwise unmemorable team. After three years of playing for the lions, Collins played 16 at-bats for Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics during the 1906 baseball season under a pseudonym. Members of the college faculty caught wind of his summer exploits as a professional and barred from playing his senior season, so Collins coached the 1907 baseball team instead.
Collins also played football at Columbia, playing quarterback during the 1905-1906 seasonCite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag
A classmate recalled that Collins once knocked a brown derby hat off a freshman's head with a well aimed snowball from 75 yards away.[2]
In the spring of 1914, Collins returned to campus to mentor the baseball team before heading down to spring training with the White Sox. [3]
In 1933, Tom Yawkey bought the Boston Red Sox on Collins' advice. Collins, who was a part owner, served as General Manager of the Sox until 1947. Collins signed Ted Williams after scouting him during a trip to San Diego. <ref>EDDIE COLLINS: WHITE ELEPHANTS AND BLACK SOXCite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Collins was part of the inaugural baseball hall of fame class in 1939.
References
- ↑ "Eddie Collins Wonderful Gridiron Star as Well" Atlanta Constitution October 30, 1910
- ↑ ibid
- ↑ BASEBALL AT COLUMBIA.; Eddie Collins to Give Early Instruction to Candidates - NY Times Feb 9, 1914
