Fred Crolius
Encyclopedia
Frederick Joseph Crolius (April 19, 1876 - August 25, 1960) was a professional baseball
and football
player. He is best remembered as being the first player from Tufts University
to come to play Major League Baseball
. He was at Tufts in 1894, and at Dartmouth College
, where he also played college football
, from 1896 until 1899. He spent two years in majors with the Boston Beaneaters and the Pittsburgh Pirates
. Crolius also played pro football with the independent Homestead Library & Athletic Club
and the Pittsburgh Stars
of the first National Football League
. He later served as a coach for both sports after his playing career ended.
. In 1901, his rookie year, he held a batting average
of .240 with 1 home run
and 13 RBIs. On July 22, 1901 Crolius had 4 Hits which led to 3 Runs Scored in a 16-3 win over the Chicago Cubs
.
In his second year in the majors, Crolius played for the Pittsburgh Pirates for 9 games in 1902, before ending his baseball career. In 1906 he was made ineligible to play with any National club by the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues due to a contract dispute with a minor league
club from Toronto.
in the game, but received little notice from the media, since Dartmouth was historically seen as having a weak football program.
In 1901 as a member of the Homestead Library & Athletic Club, located near Pittsburgh
, Crolius served as the team's halfback. That year he scored the tying touchdown
against the Blondy Wallace's
Philadelphia Athletic Club. Homestead would go on to win the game 6-5. (Touchdowns were worth 5 points in 1901).
In 1902, Crolius served as a halfback on the Pittsburgh Stars, a member of first National Football League that was suspected of being financed by baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates. During the 1902 season, the Stars won the league championship.
baseball team from 1905 until 1911. While with Villanova, acquired a 116-45-5 record. He also served as the manager of the Lancaster Red Roses
, where he guided the team to a 70-58 record in 1906.
football team. He guided Bowdoin to a 2-6 record. In 1902, Crolius was the head coach of the Pitt Panthers
football team. That year the team racked up a 5-6-1 record.
Crolius then coached the Villanova Wildcats to an 18-38-5 record between 1904 and 1911.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and 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. He is best remembered as being the first player from Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
to come to play Major League Baseball
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...
. He was at Tufts in 1894, and at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, where he also played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
, from 1896 until 1899. He spent two years in majors with the Boston Beaneaters and the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
. Crolius also played pro football with the independent Homestead Library & Athletic Club
1901 Homestead Library & Athletic Club football team
The 1901 Homestead Library & Athletic Club football team won the professional football championship of 1901. The team was affiliated with the Homestead Library & Athletic Club in Homestead, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh...
and the Pittsburgh Stars
Pittsburgh Stars
The Pittsburgh Stars were a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1902. The team was member of what was referred to as the National Football League. This league has no connection with the National Football League of today. The whole "league" was a curious mixture...
of the first National Football League
National Football League (1902)
The National Football League was the first attempt at forming a national professional football league in 1902. The league has no ties with the modern National Football League. In fact the league was only composed of teams from Pennsylvania, which was hardly "national". Two of the teams were based...
. He later served as a coach for both sports after his playing career ended.
Baseball
At age 24, he broke into the big leagues on April 19, 1901, with the Boston Beaneaters. Crolius served as the team's fourth outfielder, playing mostly right field where he backed up Jimmy SlagleJimmy Slagle
James Franklin Slagle was a professional baseball player who played outfield in the major leagues from 1899 to 1908.Slagle started his professional career in 1895, at the age of 21...
. In 1901, his rookie year, he held a batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of .240 with 1 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
and 13 RBIs. On July 22, 1901 Crolius had 4 Hits which led to 3 Runs Scored in a 16-3 win over the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
.
In his second year in the majors, Crolius played for the Pittsburgh Pirates for 9 games in 1902, before ending his baseball career. In 1906 he was made ineligible to play with any National club by the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues due to a contract dispute with a minor league
Minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
club from Toronto.
Football
In 1898 Fred Crolius was the captain of the Dartmouth football team. He was considered one of the best halfbacksHalfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
in the game, but received little notice from the media, since Dartmouth was historically seen as having a weak football program.
In 1901 as a member of the Homestead Library & Athletic Club, located near Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, Crolius served as the team's halfback. That year he scored the tying touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
against the Blondy Wallace's
Blondy Wallace
Charles Edgar "Blondy" Wallace was an early professional football player. He was a 240-pound, former Walter Camp second-team All-American tackle from the University of Pennsylvania. He also played two years at Peddie Institute, in New Jersey, winning state championships in 1896 and 1897...
Philadelphia Athletic Club. Homestead would go on to win the game 6-5. (Touchdowns were worth 5 points in 1901).
In 1902, Crolius served as a halfback on the Pittsburgh Stars, a member of first National Football League that was suspected of being financed by baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates. During the 1902 season, the Stars won the league championship.
Baseball
After his playing career, Crolius served as the coach the Villanova WildcatsVillanova University
Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
baseball team from 1905 until 1911. While with Villanova, acquired a 116-45-5 record. He also served as the manager of the Lancaster Red Roses
Lancaster Red Roses
The Lancaster Red Roses baseball team, originally known as the Maroons, changed its name at the start of the 1906 season during a bitter match with the York, Pennsylvania-based White Roses. Some sources indicate that the rival teams were named for the opposing factions in England's historic Wars of...
, where he guided the team to a 70-58 record in 1906.
Football
In 1899, he also served as the head coach for the Bowdoin CollegeBowdoin College
Bowdoin College , founded in 1794, is an elite private liberal arts college located in the coastal Maine town of Brunswick, Maine. As of 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranks Bowdoin 6th among liberal arts colleges in the United States. At times, it was ranked as high as 4th in the country. It is...
football team. He guided Bowdoin to a 2-6 record. In 1902, Crolius was the head coach of the Pitt Panthers
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
football team. That year the team racked up a 5-6-1 record.
Crolius then coached the Villanova Wildcats to an 18-38-5 record between 1904 and 1911.