Jim Levey
Encyclopedia
James Julius "Jim" Levey (September 13, 1906 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- March 14, 1970 in Dallas, Texas
) was a Jewish Major League Baseball
shortstop who played from 1930 to 1933 for the St. Louis Browns
. His professional career began in 1927. He also was a halfback
for the Pittsburgh Pirates
of the National Football League
from 1934 to 1936.
He died from cancer at the age of 63 and is interred at Restland Memorial Park in Dallas.
in 1927, hitting .252 in 143 at-bats. He served in the United States Marine Corps
in 1928 . In 1929, he played for the Tulsa Oilers
, hitting .287 in 334 at-bats. For the Wichita Falls Spudders
in 1930, he hit .289 with 16 home runs in 662 at-bats. He made his big league debut that season, on September 17, and with the Browns he hit .243 in 37 at-bats.
Levey was the Browns' starting shortstop from 1931 to 1933. In 1931, he hit .209 with 13 stolen bases in 139 games. He had perhaps his best offensive season in 1932, hitting .280 with 30 doubles and eight triples in 152 games. In 1933, he hit only .195 in 529 at-bats, posting an OPS
of only .477. On October 1, 1933, he appeared in his final big league game.
Although his big league career was done after the 1933 season, he played professionally in the minor leagues until 1945. On December 13, 1933, he was traded with Wally Hebert
and Smead Jolley
to the Hollywood Stars
of the Pacific Coast League
for Alan Strange
. He played for the Stars in 1934 and 1935, hitting .256 in 718 at-bats in the former year and .278 in 532 at-bats in the latter. In 1936, he played for the Oilers and Dallas Steers hitting a combined .252 in 587 at-bats.
From 1937 to 1940, he played for the Dallas Steers and Dallas Rebels. He hit only .226 in 1937, and in limited time in 1938 (93 games) he hit .233. 1939 was an improvement, as he hit .272 with 14 home runs and 33 doubles in 142 games. He hit .253 in 137 games in 1940.
In 1941 and 1942, Levey played for the Buffalo Bisons
, hitting .194 in 1941 and .251 in 1942. He did not play in 1943 as he served in the United States Army
, however in 1944 he was back with Buffalo, hitting .200 in 200 at-bats. 1945 was his final professional season, and arguably one of his best - he hit a career-high .302 in 348 at-bats for the Jamestown Falcons
.
Overall, Levey hit .230 with 11 home runs, 23 stolen bases, 162 runs and 140 RBI in 440 big league games. He walked 85 times, struck out 201 times and posted an on-base percentage of .272, as well as a slugging percentage of .305.
In the minors, he hit .256 in 1,699 games.
Overall, Levey played in 13 NFL games, rushing the ball 55 times and gaining 133 yards, scoring two touchdowns and averaging 2.4 yards per attempt.
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...
- March 14, 1970 in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
) was a Jewish 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...
shortstop who played from 1930 to 1933 for the 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...
. His professional career began in 1927. He also was a halfback
Halfback (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...
for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
of 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...
from 1934 to 1936.
He died from cancer at the age of 63 and is interred at Restland Memorial Park in Dallas.
Baseball career
He played for the Salisbury IndiansSalisbury Indians
The Salisbury Indians were a United States minor league baseball team which played in Salisbury, Maryland. The team began operation in 1922 as a founding member of the Eastern Shore Baseball League, which operated out of cities on the Delmarva Peninsula....
in 1927, hitting .252 in 143 at-bats. He served in the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
in 1928 . In 1929, he played for the Tulsa Oilers
Tulsa Oilers (baseball)
The Tulsa Oilers, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, were a minor league baseball team that existed on-and-off in multiple leagues from 1905 to 1976. For most of their history, they played at Oiler Park, which opened on July 11, 1934, and was located on the Tulsa County Fairgrounds at 15th Street and...
, hitting .287 in 334 at-bats. For the Wichita Falls Spudders
Wichita Falls Spudders
The Wichita Falls Spudders were a minor league baseball team that formed in 1920 and played its last game in 1957. They were based in Wichita Falls, Texas....
in 1930, he hit .289 with 16 home runs in 662 at-bats. He made his big league debut that season, on September 17, and with the Browns he hit .243 in 37 at-bats.
Levey was the Browns' starting shortstop from 1931 to 1933. In 1931, he hit .209 with 13 stolen bases in 139 games. He had perhaps his best offensive season in 1932, hitting .280 with 30 doubles and eight triples in 152 games. In 1933, he hit only .195 in 529 at-bats, posting an OPS
On-base plus slugging
On-base plus slugging is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player to both get on base and to hit for power, two important hitting skills, are represented. An OPS of .900 or higher in Major League...
of only .477. On October 1, 1933, he appeared in his final big league game.
Although his big league career was done after the 1933 season, he played professionally in the minor leagues until 1945. On December 13, 1933, he was traded with Wally Hebert
Wally Hebert
Wallace Andrew "Wally" Hebert was a sidearming left-handed Major League Baseball starting pitcher who played from 1931 to 1933 for the St. Louis Browns and in 1943 for the Pittsburgh Pirates...
and Smead Jolley
Smead Jolley
Smead Powell Jolley was an outfielder in Major League baseball for four seasons during the 1930s....
to the Hollywood Stars
Hollywood Stars
The Hollywood Stars were a minor league baseball team that played in the Pacific Coast League during the early and mid 20th century. They were the arch-rivals of the other Los Angeles based PCL team, the Los Angeles Angels.-Hollywood Stars :...
of the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
for Alan Strange
Alan Strange
Alan Cochrane "Inky" Strange is a former Major League Baseball shortstop. He was born on November 7, 1906 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a baseball player, he threw and batted right-handed, and was 5'9" in height and 162 pounds in weight...
. He played for the Stars in 1934 and 1935, hitting .256 in 718 at-bats in the former year and .278 in 532 at-bats in the latter. In 1936, he played for the Oilers and Dallas Steers hitting a combined .252 in 587 at-bats.
From 1937 to 1940, he played for the Dallas Steers and Dallas Rebels. He hit only .226 in 1937, and in limited time in 1938 (93 games) he hit .233. 1939 was an improvement, as he hit .272 with 14 home runs and 33 doubles in 142 games. He hit .253 in 137 games in 1940.
In 1941 and 1942, Levey played for the Buffalo Bisons
Buffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons are a minor league baseball team based in Buffalo, New York. They currently play in the International League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets...
, hitting .194 in 1941 and .251 in 1942. He did not play in 1943 as he served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, however in 1944 he was back with Buffalo, hitting .200 in 200 at-bats. 1945 was his final professional season, and arguably one of his best - he hit a career-high .302 in 348 at-bats for the Jamestown Falcons
Jamestown Falcons
The Jamestown Falcons were a minor league baseball team that existed on-and-off from 1940 to 1972. They played in the PONY League from 1940 to 1956, and in the New York-Penn League in 1957 and from 1968 to 1972. Based in Jamestown, New York, they were affiliated with the Detroit Tigers from 1941 to...
.
Overall, Levey hit .230 with 11 home runs, 23 stolen bases, 162 runs and 140 RBI in 440 big league games. He walked 85 times, struck out 201 times and posted an on-base percentage of .272, as well as a slugging percentage of .305.
In the minors, he hit .256 in 1,699 games.
Managerial career
He managed Dallas in 1938 and Jamestown in 1945, leading the Falcons to a 75-51 records.Football career
In 1934, he made nine attempts and gained 69 yards, averaging 7.7 yards per attempt. He rushed the ball 42 times in 1935, averaging only 1.5 yards a rush, gaining 61 yards. He did score two touchdowns in 1935, and he scored two more as a receiver, as he caught seven passes for 112 yards. 1936 was his final year with the Pittsburgh Pirates, as he played in four games and rushed the ball four times, gaining three yards for a 0.8 average.Overall, Levey played in 13 NFL games, rushing the ball 55 times and gaining 133 yards, scoring two touchdowns and averaging 2.4 yards per attempt.