Travis Jackson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Travis Jackson |
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Jackson in 1923
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| Shortstop | |||
| Born: November 2, 1903 Waldo, Arkansas, U.S. |
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| Died: July 27, 1987 (aged 83) Waldo, Arkansas, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| September 22, 1922, for the New York Giants | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 24, 1936, for the New York Giants | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .291 | ||
| Home runs | 135 | ||
| Runs batted in | 929 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Induction | 1982 | ||
| Election Method | Veterans Committee | ||
Travis Calvin Jackson (born November 2, 1903 – died July 27, 1987) was a famous American baseball player. He played as a shortstop for the New York Giants in Major League Baseball (MLB). Travis played from 1922 to 1936.
He helped the Giants win the 1933 World Series. He was also chosen to play in the MLB All-Star Game in 1934. After he stopped playing, Travis became a manager for minor league teams until 1960.
Travis was found by a scout named Kid Elberfeld when he was only 14. Elberfeld signed Travis to his first professional contract. He then told John McGraw, the Giants' manager, about Travis. Travis was so good at shortstop that people called him "Stonewall." In 1982, Travis Jackson was added to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
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Travis Jackson's Early Life
Travis Jackson was born in Waldo, Arkansas, on November 2, 1903. He was the only child of William and Etta Jackson. His father was a wholesale grocer. Travis was named after William B. Travis, a brave soldier who died at the Battle of the Alamo.
Travis's father gave him a baseball when he was three years old. They often played catch together. When Travis was 14, his uncle took him to a Little Rock Travelers minor league game. There, his uncle introduced him to Kid Elberfeld, a baseball scout.
Elberfeld watched Travis play and saw his talent. He told Travis to contact him when he was ready to play professionally. Travis later went to Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. He was a star player on the college baseball team. While playing there, he hurt his knee. This injury would bother him throughout his career.
Travis Jackson's Baseball Career
Playing in the Big Leagues
After college, Kid Elberfeld signed Travis to his first contract. Travis played for the Little Rock Travelers in 1921 and 1922. In 1922, he made 72 errors, which he joked was a "world record."
Even with the errors, Elberfeld told John McGraw, the manager of the New York Giants, about Travis. McGraw signed Travis on June 30, 1922. Travis joined the Giants after the 1922 minor league season ended.
Travis played his first MLB game on September 22, 1922. He played in three games that year. In 1923, the Giants' main shortstop and third baseman got hurt. Travis stepped in and played well. McGraw trusted Travis so much that he traded the starting shortstop before the 1924 season. He chose Travis to be the Giants' new starting shortstop.
Some people wondered if Travis could replace the old shortstop. But Travis played in 151 games in 1924. He had a batting average of .302 and hit 11 home runs. The Giants lost the 1924 World Series to the Washington Senators. Travis made an important error in Game 7 of that series.
Travis was known as one of the best shortstops of his time. In 1931, he led all National League shortstops with a .970 fielding percentage. However, Travis missed a lot of games because of injuries and sickness. He hurt his knee again in 1925. He missed many games in 1926 and had surgery for appendicitis in 1927.
He also missed time with mumps in 1930 and influenza in 1932. His knee problems continued, causing him to miss much of the 1932 and 1933 seasons. Despite these issues, manager Bill Terry said Travis would be key to the 1933 season. Travis returned in the 1933 World Series, which the Giants won against the Senators.
Terry kept Travis as the Giants' starting shortstop for the 1934 season. That year, Travis brought in 101 runs. He was also chosen for the 1934 MLB All-Star Game. In his last two seasons, Travis played third base and was the team captain.
The Giants lost the 1936 World Series to the New York Yankees. After that season, the Giants sent Travis to the minor leagues. Travis hit over .300 six times in his career. His best batting average was .339 in 1930. He hit 21 home runs in 1929. He was part of four National League championship teams and won one World Series in 1933. Travis ended his MLB career with 135 home runs, 929 runs batted in, and a .291 batting average.
Coaching and Managing Teams
After the 1936 season, Travis signed a three-year contract. He would play and manage for the Jersey City Giants in the minor leagues. His knee problems kept him from playing many games. But he stayed as the team's manager until July 1938.
The Giants then brought Travis back to the major leagues as a coach. He coached for the rest of his contract. Travis then missed five seasons because he was sick with tuberculosis. He returned to managing in 1946 for the Jackson Senators.
Travis coached for the Giants again in 1947 and 1948. After that, he was released from his contract. He went back to managing in the minor leagues for the Braves' system. He managed several teams, including the Tampa Smokers in 1949 and the Owensboro Oilers in 1950. He continued managing minor league teams until 1960.
Travis Jackson's Personal Life
Travis Jackson and his wife, Mary, had two children. Their names were Dorothy Fincher and William Travis Jackson. They also had six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Travis Jackson passed away in 1987 from Alzheimer's disease.
Honors and Awards
Players who are great at defense are sometimes not as famous as those who hit many home runs. Because of this, Travis Jackson was not voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame right away. But in 1982, he was chosen by the Veterans Committee and inducted into the Hall of Fame. He was also added to the Arkansas Hall of Fame.
See also
- List of members of the Baseball Hall of Fame
- List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise
