Cal Hawk

Cal Hawk
Pitcher
Born: October 20, 1847[1][2]
Leechburg, Pennsylvania
Died: December 16, 1899(1899-12-16) (aged 52)
Freeport, Pennsylvania
Teams
    Career highlights and awards
    • First baseball pitcher to receive a stated salary

    William Clarence "Cal" Hawk (October 20, 1847 – December 16, 1899) was an American professional baseball player in the 1870s. He played as a pitcher for the Oil City Senecas, the New Castle Neshannocks and the Bradford team. In 1873, he became the first pitcher to receive a stated salary, being paid $62 per month.[3] He has been called "the first real professional hurler the game ever had."[4] In 1899, the Sporting Life reported that he was "one of the first twirlers to pitch a curve ball, which in his time was considered a wonderful feat."[5]

    Hawk retired from professional baseball in 1877, though he continued to participate in games at Freeport, Pennsylvania.[5] Hawk was employed by Guckenheimer & Bros. distillery in Freeeport after retiring from baseball. While at work, he fell on his head onto a cement floor from a height of approximately 12 feet. The concussion from the fall led to traumatic meningitis, and Hawk died at his home in Freeport, Pennsylvania, in December 1899 at age 52.[5][6] He was buried at the Freeport Cemetery.[7]

    References

    1. ↑ Baptism record for William Clarence Hawk, birth 20 Oct 1847, place Leechburg, Armstrong, Pennsylvania, USA, father George Hawk , mother Elcia Hawk, denomination Presbyterian, Greystone United Presbyterian Church. Source Citation: Historical Society of Pennsylvania; Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records; Reel: 421. Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985 [database on-line].
    2. ↑ 1850 U.S. Census entry for George and Eliza Hawk. Son William, age 3, residing in Allegheny, Armstrong, Pennsylvania. Source Citation: Year: 1850; Census Place: Allegheny, Armstrong, Pennsylvania; Roll: M432_749; Page: 140B; Image: 286. Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line].
    3. ↑ "Squibs of the Diamond". The Pittsburgh Press. September 2, 1917. p. 8 (sports).
    4. ↑ Peter Morris (2009). Catcher: The Evolution of an American Folk Hero. Government Institutes. p. 82. ISBN 1615780033.
    5. 1 2 3 "A Veteran Dead: Cal Hawk, a Noted Player of the '70's, Called Out by the Great Umpire" (PDF). The Sporting Life. December 30, 1899. p. 11.
    6. ↑ "W. C. Hawk". Greensburg Daily Tribune. December 19, 1899.
    7. ↑ "William Clarence Hawk". Find A Grave. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
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