Chick King facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chick King |
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| Outfielder | |||
| Born: November 10, 1930 Paris, Tennessee |
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| Died: July 9, 2012 (aged 81) Paris, Tennessee |
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| debut | |||
| August 27, 1954, for the Detroit Tigers | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| May 30, 1959, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .237 | ||
| Home runs | 0 | ||
| Runs batted in | 5 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Charles "Chick" King was a baseball player. He was an outfielder in Major League Baseball. He played for the Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Cardinals. He was born on November 10, 1930, and passed away on July 9, 2012.
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Who Was Chick King?
Chick King was born in Paris, Tennessee. He was the youngest of seven brothers. He was a very talented athlete in high school. He played football, basketball, baseball, and ran track.
How He Got His Nickname
He got the nickname "Chick" when he was a boy. Years later, he said he didn't know how he got it. But the name stuck with him his whole life.
High School Sports Star
As a senior, he was named to the All-American high school football team. In August 1950, he played in a special All-American high school football game. He ran 91 yards for a touchdown in that game. He was a true sports star!
College Days
Chick King first planned to go to the University of Georgia. But he was not allowed to play there. So, he decided to go to Memphis State College. He was a star football player there in 1950. He also played basketball, baseball, and ran track for Memphis State.
Joining Professional Baseball
In April 1951, Chick King signed with the Detroit Tigers. This meant he would play professional baseball. His college football coach was not happy. He felt it was unfair for teams to take athletes from college.
Playing in the Minor Leagues
King played in the Tigers' minor league teams from 1951 to 1954. Minor league teams are like training grounds for big league players. He worked hard to improve his skills.
Making His Major League Debut
In August 1954, two Detroit Tigers outfielders got hurt. Chick King was playing for the Buffalo Bisons at the time. The Tigers called him up to the main team. He made his Major League Baseball debut on August 27, 1954.
The Sporting News newspaper described him as a "towering 190-pounder." They also called him a "swift outfielder." He had stolen 31 bases for Buffalo that season. He played in 25 games for the Tigers between 1954 and 1956.
Moving to Other Teams
In February 1957, the Tigers traded King to the Milwaukee Braves. He was then sent to a minor league team in Wichita, Kansas. He stayed in the minor leagues for the 1957 season. In December 1957, he moved to the Cubs' minor league team in Fort Worth, Texas.
Back in the Majors Briefly
King returned to the major leagues for a short time. He played in eight games for the Chicago Cubs in 1958. Most of that year, he played for the minor league team in Fort Worth.
In May 1959, the Cubs traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals. He played in only five games for the Cardinals. His last major league game was on May 30, 1959.
Chick King's Career Stats
Over five seasons in Major League Baseball, King played in 45 games. He played 29 games as an outfielder. The rest of the time, he was a pinch hitter. A pinch hitter is a player who bats in place of another player.
His career batting average was .237. This means he got a hit about 23.7% of the times he batted. His on-base percentage was .306. This shows how often he got on base.
Chick King continued to play minor league baseball until 1961.
