Bibb Falk facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bibb Falk |
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| Left fielder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born: January 27, 1899 Austin, Texas |
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| Died: June 8, 1989 (aged 90) Austin, Texas |
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| debut | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| July 17, 1920, for the Chicago White Sox | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| September 23, 1931, for the Cleveland Indians | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .314 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 69 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 784 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As player
As coach
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Bibb August Falk (born January 27, 1899 – died June 8, 1989) was a talented American baseball player and coach. He played as a left fielder in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox (1920–1928) and Cleveland Indians (1929–1931). After his playing days, he became a very successful college baseball coach at the University of Texas.
Bibb Falk's Playing Career
Bibb Falk was born in Austin, Texas. He was good at both football and baseball when he was at the University of Texas. In 1920, he joined the Chicago White Sox. He started as a backup outfielder. However, after a big scandal in 1919 where eight players were suspended, Falk got his chance to play more. He took over the left field position from a famous player, Shoeless Joe Jackson.
Falk was known as a very consistent hitter. He played for twelve seasons and ended his career with a strong batting average of .314. This means he got a hit about 314 times out of every 1000 chances. He was also called "Jockey" because he was a smart player who would often tease his opponents.
His best season was in 1926 with the White Sox. That year, he hit for a .345 batting average. He also had 43 doubles (when the batter reaches second base) and 108 runs batted in (RBI), which means he helped 108 teammates score runs. He was even voted as one of the top players for the MVP award that year, finishing 12th.
After the 1928 season, Falk was traded to the Cleveland Indians. He played three more seasons in the major leagues before he stopped playing and became a coach.
Bibb Falk's Stats as a Player
In his 12 seasons, Bibb Falk played in 1353 games. Here are some of his career stats:
- Batting Average: .314 (1463 hits in 4652 tries)
- Runs: 655
- Doubles: 300
- Triples: 59
- Home Runs: 69
- Runs Batted In (RBI): 784
- Stolen Bases: 47
- On-Base Percentage: .372 (how often he reached base)
- Slugging Percentage: .449 (how many bases he got per hit)
- Fielding Percentage: .967 (how well he played defense in left and right field)
Bibb Falk's Coaching Career
After his playing career, Bibb Falk became a coach. He coached for the Cleveland Indians in 1933 and the Boston Red Sox in 1934.
His most famous coaching job was at the University of Texas. He coached their baseball team from 1940 to 1942, and then again from 1946 to 1967. During his time as coach, the Texas Longhorns baseball team won two College World Series titles in a row, in 1949 and 1950.
In 1975, the new baseball stadium at the University of Texas was named Disch-Falk Field. It was named to honor both Bibb Falk and his former coach, Billy Disch. Bibb Falk passed away at the age of 90 in Austin, Texas.
