Kick Kelly
Kick Kelly | |
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Troy Trojans | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .155 |
Home runs | 0 |
Runs batted in | 2 |
Teams | |
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Career highlights and awards | |
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John O. "Kick" Kelly (October 31, 1856 – March 27, 1926), also nicknamed "Honest John" and "Diamond John",[2] was an American catcher, manager and umpire in Major League Baseball[1] who went on to become a boxing referee and to run gambling houses in his native New York City. He made a notable impact on the development of umpiring, helping to pioneer the use of multiple umpires in games in the 1880s. By the time he initially retired in 1888, he held the record for most games umpired in the major leagues (587); he returned to work the last two months of the 1897 season.
Playing career
Kelly played just one season in the
Umpiring career
After his playing days were over, Kelly became an umpire, working games in both the National League and the
Among the highlights of his officiating career were calling two
Kelly's record of 587 career games as an umpire was broken by
Managerial career
Kick Kelly began his managerial career in 1887 when he took over the field duties for the Colonels. He managed the entire season, and the team compiled a 76–60 record, which was good for fourth place in the American Association.[1] He then began the 1888 season as their manager, but the team started with a record of 10–29,[1] and owner/general manager Mordecai Davidson fired Kelly and put himself at the helm in an attempt to stop the losing streak of which his team was in the middle. He and John Kerins did not help that much, as the team finished in seventh place.[4]
Boxing career
Kelly became a championship boxing referee, officiating Jim Corbett's only successful defense of his heavyweight title against Charley Mitchell on January 25, 1894, in Jacksonville, Florida. In the second round, after Mitchell had begun the fight with constant slurs directed at Corbett, the champion landed a blow to Mitchell's head after he had been knocked to the mat. Mitchell's corner called for a foul, but the presence of numerous spectators brandishing guns and eager to defend their bets led Kelly to dismiss the complaint; he later confided that he had been lucky to leave Jacksonville alive. He also called the heavyweight fight between Corbett and Tom Sharkey on November 22, 1898, in New York, which ended in controversy when one of Corbett's cornermen jumped into the ring in the ninth round. Kelly announced that although Corbett had lost the fight on the foul, all bets were off.[5] On July 3, 1899, in Buffalo, New York, Kelly refereed the bout in which Frank Erne won a 20-round decision to take the world lightweight title from Kid Lavigne.
Kelly died in
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Kick Kelly's Stats". retrosheet.org. Retrieved March 31, 2008.
- ^ "Kick Kelly's Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2008.
- ^ "Chronological List of No-Hitters". retrosheet.org. Retrieved March 31, 2008.
- ^ "Louisville Colonels History & Encyclopedia". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2008.
- ^ Bright, Harvey (October 1933). "Notable Referees". The Ring. p. 24.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference
- Boxing record for Kick Kelly from BoxRec (registration required)