Tag Archives: Polo Grounds
Tad Dorgan
Tad Dorgan (Cartoonist. Born, San Francisco, CA, Apr. 28, 1877; died, Great Neck, NY, May 2, 1929.) Thomas Aloysius Dorgan was known universally as “TAD” for his signature on his sports cartoons. But more than a cartoonist, Dorgan was a sportswriter of some note and a phrasemaker who contributed much of the language and slang […]
Buff Donelli
Buff Donelli (Soccer and college football. Born, Morgan, PA, July 22, 1907; died, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Aug. 9, 1994.) Because he was a big fan of Buffalo Bill, Aldo Theodore Donelli earned his peculiar childhood nickname, “Buff,” that remained with him his entire life. One of the most successful college football coaches of his time, […]
Hugh Devore
Hugh Devore (College football. Born, Newark, NJ, Nov. 25, 1910; died, Edmond, OK, Dec. 8, 1992.) A football player at Notre Dame and captain of its 1934 team, Hugh John Devore was also the last head coach of N.Y.U. varsity football. Devore was hired to resurrect a failing program that had once filled Yankee Stadium […]
John B. Day
John B. Day (Baseball. Born, Colchester, MA, Sept. 23, 1847; died, Cliffside Park, NJ, Jan. 25, 1925.) After the New York Mutuals were expelled from the infant National League for failing to complete the 1876 N.L. schedule, it fell to John B. Day to revive major league pro baseball in the nation’s largest city. Day […]
Alvin Dark
Alvin Dark (Baseball. Comanche, OK, Jan. 7, 1922.) A football player at L.S.U., Alvin Ralph Dark was the 1948 N.L. Rookie of the Year with the pennant-winning Boston Braves. But much of his career is connected to the Giants (both in New York and San Francisco). Dark was traded by Boston to New York Dec. […]
Bill Cox
Bill Cox (Soccer. Born, New York, NY, Nov. 8, 1909; died, Mt. Kisco, NY, Mar. 28, 1989.) William Drought Cox was probably the man who restored soccer to a status as popular sport in the United States after it virtually disappeared from the American sports calendar during World War II. Cox led a group of investors […]
Billy Conn
Billy Conn (Boxing. Born, East Liberty, PA, Oct. 8, 1917; died, Pittsburgh, PA, May 29, 1993.) A light heavyweight champion (1939-40) who gave up his title to fight as a heavyweight, William David Conn, Jr., almost won that championship. Conn was ahead on all cards when he decided to slug it out with Joe Louis and […]
John T. Brush
John T. Brush (Baseball. Born, Clintonville, NY, June 15, 1845; died, St. Charles, MO, Nov. 26, 1912.) Owner of the New York Giants baseball club for an eventful 10 years, John Tomlinson Brush also created the outline of the rules for the modern World Series. Brush bought the Giants from Andrew Freedman after the 1902 season […]
Eddie Brannick
Eddie Brannick (Baseball. Born, New York, NY, July 22, 1893; died, West Palm Beach, FL, July 18, 1975.) Edward Thomas Brannick was not only employed by the Giants for the last 52 years they were in New York but remained after the club moved to San Francisco to handle rentals of the Polo Grounds. Brannick joined […]
