User:Jaranda/Harry Agganis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Aristotle George (Harry) Agganis (April 20, 1929 - June 27, 1955) nicknamed "The Golden Greek", was an former Major League Baseball first baseman who played two seasons (1954 - 1955 with the Boston Red Sox of the American League.

A star american football player at Boston University, Agganis broke several school passing records and made the All-American team in his final two seasons. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1974. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 1952 NFL Draft, but signed with the local Red Sox for more money. After playing a season of minor league baseball, Agganis debuted on April 13, 1954 in a game against the .

On June 2, 1955, Agganis fell ill with pneumonia. He returned to the team ten days later, but fell ill again on the 26th. He died of a pulmonary embolism the next day. His death shocked the nation, and hit New England especially hard. Over 10,000 people attended his funeral

[edit] Career

Agganis was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, the x son of a shoemaker and a housewife. He attended Lynn Classical High School, where he was a star baseball and football player.^[1] He also was the starting quarterback in the All-American high school national team.^[2] He was sought after colleges across the nation, but settled locally by selecting Boston University. In Boston, Agganis started in football where he primarily played at quarterback. After a sophomore season in 1949, when he set a school record by tossing fifteen touchdown passes, he entered the Marine Corps. Agganis played for the Camp Lejeune (N.C.) football and baseball teams. He received a dependency discharge from the Marines to support his mother and returned to college to play in 1951-52. Agganis became the school's first All-American in football.

Agganis set another Boston University mark by passing for 1,402 yards for the season and won the Bulger Lowe Award as New England's outstanding football player. Coach Paul Brown of the Cleveland Browns thought he could be the successor to Otto Graham and drafted the college junior in the first round of the 1952 NFL draft, offering him a bonus of $25,000. Boston Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey outdid Brown, however, and signed Agganis to play Major League Baseball for the Red Sox as a first baseman for $35,000.

Following his 1953 college graduation, Agganis played with the Triple-A Louisville where he hit .281 with 23 home runs and 108 RBI. He made his major league debut on April 13, 1954. Agganis had a modest rookie campaign, though he did lead American League first basemen in assists and fielding percentage.

In 1955, Agganis was off to a good start when tragedy struck. On June 2, he was hospitalized with pneumonia after complaining of severe fever and chest pains. Though he rejoined the Red Sox ten days later, he fell ill again in Kansas City on June 27 and was flown back to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he died of a pulmonary embolism at age of 26. Ten thousand mourners attended his wake.

Agganis was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1974. Gaffney Street, near the former site of Braves Field in Boston, was renamed Harry Agganis Way in his honor on November 11, 1995. In 2004, the Agganis Arena on the campus of his alma mater was named in his honor.

[edit] Legacy

In 2005, Boston University opened their new athletic facility, Agganis Arena, at the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Harry Agganis Way on the Charles River Campus. The arena is arguably the crown jewel of the $325 million John Hancock Student Village complex, competing only with the 270,000 square foot Fitness and Recreation Center next door.

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] See also

• Boston University athletics
• North Shore Spirit
• Boston Red Sox all-time roster

[edit] External links

• College Football Hall of Fame
• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference

• BaseballLibrary.com
• Agganis Arena page