George Barclay (baseball)
Encyclopedia
George Oliver Barclay was an American football
and baseball
player. He played Major League Baseball
for the St. Louis Cardinals
and later the Boston Beaneaters
. He was also an early professional football player-coach
for the Greensburg Athletic Association
. He was nicknamed "The Rose" for his concern with his looks and his eye for the ladies. Barclay also invented the first football helmet
.
in the independent Cumberland Valley League. He continued to play both football and minor league baseball
. In 1901, he batted .335 for the Rochester Bronchos
of the Eastern League
, earning him a look from the Cardinals.
and Emmet Heidrick
, had jumped to the rival St. Louis Browns
of the new American League
, and Barclay, along with Doc Smoot, were acquired to replace them, with Barclay becoming the everyday left fielder
. Both men hit over .300 that year, as did their manager and outfield mate Patsy Donovan
, but the Cardinals still fell from fourth to sixth.
In 1903, although Smoot continued to play well, Barclay's production fell off, batting just .248. Still, he was brought back to be the team's starting left fielder in 1904. His performance continued to decline, and he was batting just .200 when he was sold to the Boston Beaneaters on September 11, 1904, having been replaced by rookie Hugh Hill
.
by the Beaneaters, and his average bounced back a bit to .226 during his time with Boston. He started the 1905 season back in left field, but after batting just .176 in 29 games he was replaced by Jim Delahanty
and eventually released on May 22, 1905.
Barclay returned to Rochester to finish the 1905 season, but he never regained his previous level of performance, as he batted .245 that year, then just .190 in 1906. After one more season with the class-B Lynn Shoemakers of the New England League
, batting .207 in 43 games, Barclay left professional baseball.
with strips of leather harness padding. It made its debut in a Lafayette game against Penn
on Oct. 24, 1896. The NCAA and the National Football League
made helmets mandatory in 1939 and in 1941, respectively.
Barclay also was a member of the 1897 Lafayette football team that won the national championship. That same year he was a player-coach for the Greensburg Athletic Association. He ended the season on the player on that team named to the “All- Western Pennsylvania” team by the Pittsburgh Press
. A year later, he was chosen by Dave Berry
, the manager of the rivial Latrobe Athletic Association
, to play for the Western Pennsylvania All-Stars
in the very first football all-star game, against the Duquesne Country and Athletic Club
.
in Philadelphia. He succumbed to peritonitis after an operation for appendicitis.
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...
and baseball
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...
player. He played 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...
for the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
and later the Boston Beaneaters
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
. He was also an early professional football player-coach
Player-coach
A player-coach, in sports, is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. The term can be used to refer to both players who serve as head coaches, or as assistant coaches....
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 nicknamed "The Rose" for his concern with his looks and his eye for the ladies. Barclay also invented the first football helmet
Football helmet
A football helmet is a protective device used primarily in American football and Canadian football. It consists of a hard plastic top with thick padding on the inside, a face mask made of one or more plastic bars, and a chinstrap. Some players add polycarbonate visors to their helmets, which are...
.
Minor leagues
Barclay began his professional baseball career in 1896 with the Chambersburg MaroonsChambersburg Maroons
The Chambersburg Maroons are currently a twilight league baseball team located in Chambersburg, PA. They call historic Henninger Field their home, and have done so since the club's creation in 1895.- Cumberland Valley League :...
in the independent Cumberland Valley League. He continued to play both football and minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
. In 1901, he batted .335 for the Rochester Bronchos
Rochester Red Wings
The Rochester Red Wings are a minor league baseball team based in Rochester, New York. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins major-league club. The Red Wings play in Frontier Field, located in downtown Rochester.The Red Wings were an...
of the Eastern League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
, earning him a look from the Cardinals.
Cardinals
Barclay was 25 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 17, 1902, with the St. Louis Cardinals. Two of the team's starting outfielders, Jesse BurkettJesse Burkett
Jesse Cail Burkett , nicknamed "The Crab", was a Major League Baseball player at the turn of the 20th century...
and Emmet Heidrick
Emmet Heidrick
R. Emmet "Snags" Heidrick was an outfielder in Major League Baseball from 1898 to 1908. He played for the Cleveland Spiders, St. Louis Cardinals, and St. Louis Browns.-External links:...
, had jumped to the rival St. Louis Browns
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
of the new American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
, and Barclay, along with Doc Smoot, were acquired to replace them, with Barclay becoming the everyday left fielder
Left fielder
In baseball, a left fielder is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
. Both men hit over .300 that year, as did their manager and outfield mate Patsy Donovan
Patsy Donovan
Patrick Joseph "Patsy" Donovan was an Irish-American right fielder and manager in Major League Baseball who played for several teams from to , most notably the Pittsburgh Pirates and St...
, but the Cardinals still fell from fourth to sixth.
In 1903, although Smoot continued to play well, Barclay's production fell off, batting just .248. Still, he was brought back to be the team's starting left fielder in 1904. His performance continued to decline, and he was batting just .200 when he was sold to the Boston Beaneaters on September 11, 1904, having been replaced by rookie Hugh Hill
Hugh Hill (baseball)
Hugh Ellis Hill was a Major League Baseball outfielder who played for two seasons. He played for the Cleveland Naps during the 1903 Cleveland Naps season and the St. Louis Cardinals during the 1904 St. Louis Cardinals season. Hill spent a few quality seasons with the American Association's Kansas...
.
Beaneaters and return to the minors
Barclay was moved to right fieldRight fielder
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
by the Beaneaters, and his average bounced back a bit to .226 during his time with Boston. He started the 1905 season back in left field, but after batting just .176 in 29 games he was replaced by Jim Delahanty
Jim Delahanty
James Christopher Delahanty was a second baseman in Major League Baseball. He played thirteen seasons with eight clubs: the Chicago Orphans , New York Giants , Boston Beaneaters , Cincinnati Reds , St. Louis Browns , Washington Senators , Detroit Tigers , and Brooklyn Tip-Tops...
and eventually released on May 22, 1905.
Barclay returned to Rochester to finish the 1905 season, but he never regained his previous level of performance, as he batted .245 that year, then just .190 in 1906. After one more season with the class-B Lynn Shoemakers of the New England League
New England League
The New England League was a mid-level league in American minor league baseball that played sporadically in five of the six New England states between 1886 and 1949. After 1901, it existed in the shadow of two Major League Baseball clubs in Boston and alongside stronger, higher-classification...
, batting .207 in 43 games, Barclay left professional baseball.
First football helmet and career
In 1896, Barclay was credited with inventing the first-ever football helmet, with the intention that it would prevent cauliflower ears. The helmet was constructed by a saddle-maker from nearby EastonEaston, Pennsylvania
Easton is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,800 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Northampton County....
with strips of leather harness padding. It made its debut in a Lafayette game against Penn
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
on Oct. 24, 1896. The NCAA and the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
made helmets mandatory in 1939 and in 1941, respectively.
Barclay also was a member of the 1897 Lafayette football team that won the national championship. That same year he was a player-coach for the Greensburg Athletic Association. He ended the season on the player on that team named to the “All- Western Pennsylvania” team by the Pittsburgh Press
Pittsburgh Press
The Pittsburgh Press is an online newspaper in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, currently owned and operated by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Historically, it was a major afternoon paper...
. A year later, he was chosen by Dave Berry
Dave Berry (American football)
David J. Berry was a major football manager during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was the top promotor for the sport during that time period...
, the manager of the rivial Latrobe Athletic Association
Latrobe Athletic Association
The Latrobe Athletic Association was a professional football team located in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, from 1895 until 1909. The team is best known for being the first football club to play a full season while composed entirely of professional players...
, to play for the Western Pennsylvania All-Stars
1898 Western Pennsylvania All-Star football team
The 1898 Western Pennsylvania All-Star football team was a collection of early football players, from several teams in the area, to form an all-star team. The team was formed by Dave Berry, the manager of the Latrobe Athletic Association, for the purpose of playing the Duquesne Country and Athletic...
in the very first football all-star game, against the Duquesne Country and Athletic Club
Duquesne Country and Athletic Club
The Duquesne Country and Athletic Club was a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1895 until 1900. The team was considered one of the best, if not the best, professional football teams in the country from 1898 until 1900...
.
Death
Barclay died on April 3, 1909 at the Hospital of the University of PennsylvaniaHospital of the University of Pennsylvania
The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania is a hospital affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania Health System located in the University City section of West Philadelphia. The hospital was founded at its current location in 1874 by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine,...
in Philadelphia. He succumbed to peritonitis after an operation for appendicitis.