Wes Schulmerich
Wes Schulmerich | ||
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Runs batted in | 192 | |
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Edward Wesley Schulmerich (August 21, 1901 – June 26, 1985) was an American Major League Baseball player from the state of Oregon. A native of the state, he played baseball and football at what is now Oregon State University where he participated in three sports. On the football team, he played three positions and earned the nickname of Ironhorse and all-conference honors. In baseball, he was a right-handed outfielder and after leaving school started his professional career in the minor leagues. Schulmerich then became the first player from the school to make it to the Major Leagues, playing for three teams in the early 1930s. He is a member of the Oregon State University Sports Hall of Fame and the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame.
Early life
Edward Wesley "Wes" Schulmerich was born to German immigrants in Hillsboro, Oregon, on August 21, 1901.[1] He was one of seven children raised on a farm near the city by his father William and mother Annie (née Schmidt).[2] His grandfather Conrad brought the family to the United States in 1856, a family that included politician Edward Schulmerich, Wes' uncle.[2][3] Wes Schulmerich went to high school in Hillsboro, a city west of Portland.[2] After two years he dropped out of the school and worked on his father's farm.[2]
In 1921, he enrolled at the Columbia Prep school in Portland, the predecessor to the University of Portland, a Catholic school.[2] He had been recruited to play football for the school, and did, earning a scholarship to Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State University).[2] Schulmerich had been recruited to play football at the University of Notre Dame by Knute Rockne, but declined.[2] He graduated from Columbia Prep in 1923 and headed south to Corvallis and college.[2] There he participated in three sports: football, baseball, and track.[2]
Schulmerich earned the nickname of Ironhorse on the football field as he played fullback on offense, linebacker on defense, and on special teams was the placekicker.[2][4] As a junior and senior he earned all-conference honors for his play on the team.[2] On the track team he ran the 100 yard dash, clocking in at 10.5 seconds.[2] In baseball, he played in the outfield and hit for a .459 average his senior year.[2] Schulmerich graduated with a bachelor's degree in business in 1927 from Oregon State.[2]
Professional career
Schulmerich was recruited to play in the National Football League after leaving college, but decided to play baseball instead.[2] He began his career playing for the Clarks in the Butte Mining League in Montana, a semi-professional league.[2] Ralph Coleman, the Oregon State coach got him the job, along with his second job with the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League (PCL).[2] In 1927, he hit for a .322 average with no home runs (HRs) and 14 runs batted in (RBIs) in 31 games for the team.[5] The next season, he hit .317 with 19 home runs and 96 RBIs in 192 games.[5] For the 1929 season he played in 134 games at hit .328 with 19 home runs and 77 RBIs.[5] Then in 1930 he hit .380, 28 home runs, and 130 RBIs in 189 games.[5]
He was signed by the
Finishing the 1933 season with the Phillies, he hit .334 with 8 home runs and 59 RBIs in 97 games.[6] Overall that year he hit .318 for fifth best in the National League.[2] The next year, he played 15 games for the Phillies before being traded to the Cincinnati Reds on May 16, 1934.[1] The Phillies included outfielder Art Ruble and pitcher Ted Kleinhans in the deal to acquire fellow Oregonian Syl Johnson (a pitcher) and outfielder Johnny Moore.[1] Schulmerich played 74 games for the Reds, batting .263 with 5 home runs and 19 RBIs.[1] He played his last major league game on September 30, 1934.[1] He never returned to the Major Leagues, and in 429 career games he hit 27 home runs, drove in 192 runs, and had a .289 batting average.[1]
Schulmerich was sent to the
Later years and family
During his final years as a player, Schulmerich began acting as an on-field jester, a routine he continued for several years after retirement.[2] In 1929, Schulmerich was married to Cecile Hobro, and they had two daughters, Betty and Cecile.[2] After leaving baseball he worked for Shell Oil until joining the United States Navy during World War II.[2] He served from 1942 to 1945, leaving as a lieutenant commander.[2] Schulmerich bought property in Beaver, Oregon, in Tillamook County where he ran a fishing resort.[2] He also became a big Oregon State University fan, never missing a home football game in 62 years.[2]
Schulmerich served as a county commissioner in Tillamook for 11 years before moving to North Albany in 1958.[2] He bought the Albany Golf Course that year, and sold it in 1960, using the profits to pay for retirement.[2] In addition to OSU football games, he and his wife also attended most baseball, basketball, and track home events, as well as many road games.[2] Schulmerich was inducted into the inaugural class of the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1980 followed in 1991 by induction into OSU's Sports Hall of Fame.[2] He was diagnosed with cancer in the late 1970s and went through chemotherapy, but never regained his health.[2] Edward Wesley Schulmerich died in Corvallis on June 26, 1985, at the age of 83 and was buried in his hometown of Hillsboro at the Valley Memorial Mausoleum.[6]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Wes Schulmerich: Trades. Baseball Almanac. Retrieved on April 26, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak Armour, Mark. “Wes Schulmerich”, The Baseball Biography Project, The Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved on April 26, 2009.
- ^ Hines, H. K. An Illustrated History of the State of Oregon. Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co. 1893. p. 1243.
- ^ Edmonston, George, Jr. “Up Close and Personal: Expect the Unexpected”, Oregon State University Alumni Association. Retrieved on April 26, 2009.
- ^ ISBN 0-7864-0045-5
- ^ a b c d e Wes Schulmerich: Stats. Baseball Almanac. Retrieved on April 26, 2009.
- ^ Oregon State University Baseball Players Who Made it to the Major Leagues. Baseball Almanac. Retrieved on April 26, 2009.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Interview with Wes Schulmerich conducted by Eugene Murdock on June 27, 1978, in Albany, New York: Part 1, Part 2