Charlie Atherton
Encyclopedia
Charles Morgan Herbert Atherton (November 19, 1874 in New Brunswick, NJ - December 19, 1934 in Vienna, Austria) is a former Major League Baseball
third baseman
. Nicknamed "Prexy", he batted and threw right-handed, was 5'10" tall and weighed 160 pounds. Atherton attended Penn State University. He was also an early professional football
player for the Greensburg Athletic Association
. He was the son of Penn State president George W. Atherton. Charlie was Penn State's first sports star as a member of the school's baseball and football teams. He is also credited with inventing the place kick
.
Atherton made his Major League
debut on May 30, 1899 at the age of 24. He hit .248 in 242 at bat
s in 1899, which would end up being his only Major League season. He also hit 5 doubles
, 6 triples
and had 23 RBI
. Defensively, Atherton committed 26 errors
, which was fourth worst on the now defunct Washington Senators
team of the National League
. He played his final game on August 22, 1899.
Outside of sports, Charlie was an accomplished musician and writer who witnessed the Russian Revolution, World War I
, and the Nazis rise to power first hand. He documented each event in highly descriptive letters to his sister, Harriet.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
. Nicknamed "Prexy", he batted and threw right-handed, was 5'10" tall and weighed 160 pounds. Atherton attended Penn State University. He was also an early professional football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player for the Greensburg Athletic Association
Greensburg Athletic Association
The Greensburg Athletic Association was an early organized football team, based in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, that played from 1890 until 1900. The team began as an amateur football club in 1890 and was composed primarily of locals before several professional players were added for the 1895 season...
. He was the son of Penn State president George W. Atherton. Charlie was Penn State's first sports star as a member of the school's baseball and football teams. He is also credited with inventing the place kick
Place kick
The place kick is a kicking style commonly used in rugby league and rugby union. It is also seen in Association football, American football and Canadian football.-American and Canadian football:...
.
Atherton made his Major League
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
debut on May 30, 1899 at the age of 24. He hit .248 in 242 at bat
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
s in 1899, which would end up being his only Major League season. He also hit 5 doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, 6 triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
and had 23 RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
. Defensively, Atherton committed 26 errors
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
, which was fourth worst on the now defunct Washington Senators
Washington Senators (1891-1899)
The Washington Senators were a 19th century baseball team. The team was also known as the Washington Statesmen and the Washington Nationals. The team played at Boundary Field....
team of the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
. He played his final game on August 22, 1899.
Outside of sports, Charlie was an accomplished musician and writer who witnessed the Russian Revolution, World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and the Nazis rise to power first hand. He documented each event in highly descriptive letters to his sister, Harriet.