Globe iconLogin iconRecap iconSearch iconTickets icon
Scores
All Scores Triple-A Scores Double-A Scores High-A Scores Single-A Scores Rookie Scores
Schedule
Complete Game Schedule Triple-A Schedule Double-A Schedule High-A Schedule Single-A Schedule Rookie Schedule Sync Schedules
Teams
Teams by Affiliate Teams by Name Teams by Class Teams by League Ballparks
Watch
Watch Games Subscribe Highlights Prospect Highlights Streaming FAQ Help Center Gameday Audio Podcast Bally Sports Live
Tickets
Tickets
Shop
MiLB Store Auctions Shop Copa Shop Marvel
Standings
Full Season Rookie Leagues Playoffs Playoff Procedures
Stats
Full Season Rookie Leagues Trending Players Top Prospect Stats
News
Pipeline Transactions Copa de la Diversión Baseball Traveler Malmö Oat Milkers MiLB App MiLB Newsletters Sweepstakes & Contests
Prospects
Top 100 Top 30 by Team Top 50 International Draft Top 250 Trending Players
Playoffs
MLB

Looking Back: MLB Players Interred in Nashville

By Bill Traughber
May 2, 2016

Several years ago the Society of American Baseball Researchers (SABR) held its annual convention in St. Louis. One of the activities available for its members was a tour of St. Louis cemeteries and gravesites of former Cardinals and Browns players. According to Baseball Reference there are 32 former major league players interred in Nashville cemeteries. These are those players with a very brief biography and the Nashville cemetery interred in parenthesis.

George Archie was born on April 27, 1914 in Nashville, TN and died on Sept. 20, 2001 in Nashville, TN (Mount Olivet Cemetery). Archie played third and first base for Detroit (1938), Washington (1941) and St. Louis Browns (1941, 1946). He had a lifetime batting average of .273 with three home runs and 53 RBI. Archie was Vanderbilt's head baseball coach in 1965-67.

Johnny Beazley was born on May 25, 1918 in Nashville, TN and died on April 21, 1990 in Nashville, TN (Mount Olivet Cemetery). As a rookie right-handed pitcher, Beazley won games two and five in the 1942 World Series for St. Louis that beat the Yankees in five games. Beazley played for St. Louis (1941-42, 1946) and Boston Braves (1947-49). His career record was 31-12 in 76 games with a 3.01 ERA and 147 strikeouts.

Harley Boss was born on Nov. 19, 1908 in Hodge, LA and died on May 15, 1964 in Nashville, TN (Woodlawn Memorial Park). Boss played first base for Washington (1928-30) and Cleveland (1933) and in his career batted .268 with one home run and 61 RBI. He was Vanderbilt's head baseball coach (1960, 1963-64).

Clydell "Slick" Castleman was born on Sept. 8, 1913 in Donelson, TN and died on March 2, 1998 in Nashville, TN (Woodlawn Memorial Park). Castleman was a pitcher for the New York Giants (1934-39) with a 36-26 record, a 4.25 ERA and 225 strikeouts.

Hardin Cathey Born on July 6, 1919 in Burns, TN and died on July 27, 1997 in Nashville, TN (Middle Tennessee Veteran's Cemetery). Hardin pitched for Washington in 1942 appearing in 12 games with a 1-1 record, 7.24 ERA in 30.1 innings.

Ed Cole was born on March 22, 1909 in Wilkes-Barre, PA and died on July 28, 1999 in Nashville, TN (Nashville National Cemetery). Cole was a pitcher playing for the St. Louis Browns (1938-39) where he was 1-7 with a 5.31 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 42 games.

Dory Dean was born on Nov. 6, 1852 in Cincinnati, OH and died on May 4, 1935 in Nashville, TN (Woodlawn Memorial Park). Dean was a 19th century pitcher who played just one season (1876) for the Cincinnati Red Stockings. He recorded 22 strikeouts with a 3.73 ERA and a pitching mark of 4-26.

Charles "Slim" Embry was born on August 17, 1901 in Columbia, TN and died on Oct. 10, 1947 in Nashville, TN (Mount Olivet Cemetery). Embry pitched one season for the Chicago White Sox (1923) throwing in just one game recording 2.2 innings. His ERA was 10.12 with one strikeout. Emery was a graduate of Vanderbilt University and its baseball captain in 1923.

Kerby Farrell Was born on Sept. 3, 1913 in Leapwood, TN and died on Dec. 17, 1975 in Nashville, TN (Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery). The first baseman played two full years with the Boston Braves (1943) and White Sox (1945). He batted .262 with no home runs and 55 RBI in 188 games. Farrell was a three-time Sporting News Minor League Manager of the Year (1954, 1956 and 1961).

Johnny Gill was born on March 27, 1905 in Nashville, TN and died on Dec. 26, 1985 in Nashville, TN (Calvary Cemetery). Gill was an outfielder that played six seasons for Cleveland (1927-28), Washington (1931, 1934) and Cubs (1935-36). In his career he batted .245 with 10 home runs, 45 RBI in 118 games.
Johnny Gooch was born on Nov. 9, 1897 in Smyrna, TN and died on May 15, 1975 in Nashville, TN (Mount Olivet Cemetery). Gooch was a catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1921-28), Brooklyn Dodgers (1928-29), Cincinnati (1929-30) and Red Sox (1933). He played in 815 games batting .280 with seven home runs and 293 RBI. Gooch also played in the 1925 and 1927 World Series.

Dawson "Tiny" Graham was born on Sept. 9, 1892 in Nashville, TN and died on Dec. 29, 1962 in Nashville, TN (Cavalry Cemetery). Graham played one season (1914) at first base for the Cincinnati Reds. He played in 25 games batting .230 with no home runs and three RBI.

Ray Hamrick was born Aug. 1, 1921 in Nashville, TN and died in Nashville, TN on June 9, 2009 (Spring Hill Cemetery). After playing for the Nashville Vols, Hamrick joined the Philadelphia Phillies where he stayed two seasons (1943-44). The shortstop played in 118 games batting .204 with one home run and 32 RBI.

Charlie Harding was born on Jan. 3, 1891 in Nashville, TN and died on Oct. 30, 1971 in Bold Spring, TN (Calvary Cemetery). As a pitcher, Harding appeared in one game for Detroit in 1913. He pitched two innings allowing three hits and one run.

Tony Jacobs was born on Aug. 5, 1925 in Dixmoor, IL and died on Dec. 21 in Nashville, TN (Spring Hill Cemetery). Jacobs pitched in two major league games. The first game was with the Cubs (1948) where he pitched two relief innings giving up a home run. After six years in the minors, Jacobs pitched Opening Day (1955) for the Cardinals. In two more innings of relief, Jacobs gave up four runs and six hits in a loss.

Claude Jonnard was born on Nov. 23, 1897 in Nashville, TN and died on August 27, 1959 in Nashville, TN (Mount Olivet Cemetery). Jonnard pitched in parts of six seasons with the Giants (1921-24), Browns (1926) and Cubs (1929). His career record was 14-12 in 137 appearances with a 3.79 ERA and 160 strikeouts. Jonnard pitched two innings of relief in the 1923 World Series and one-third of an inning in the 1924 World Series giving up no runs in all three innings.

Ben Harris was born on Dec. 7, 1889 in Nashville, TN and died on April 1, 1927 in St. Louis, MO (Mount Olivet Cemetery). Harris played for Kansas City (1914-15) in the Federal League a third unsuccessful major league that lasted two years. He was 7-8 in 32 games with a 4. 04 ERA and 40 strikeouts.

Jim Kirby was born on May 5, 1923 in Nashville, TN and died on July 17, 2009 in Nashville, TN (Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery). Kirby played in two games for the Cubs in 1949 making two official plate appearances recording one hit for a .500 average. He also walked twice and played 13 years of minor league baseball.

Mickey Kreitner was born on Oct. 9, 1922 in Nashville, TN and died on March 6, 2003 Nashville, TN (Spring Hill Cemetery). Kreitner played two seasons for the Chicago Cubs (1943-44) during World War II. The catcher played in 42 career games posting a .172 average with no home runs and three RBI. Kreitner fielding average was .992.

Axel Lindstrom was born on August 26, 1895 in Gustavsberg, Sweden and died on June 24, 1940 in Ashville, NC (Nashville National Cemetery). The pitcher made one appearance for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1916. He pitched four innings allowing two earned runs for the save. In his only two major league plate appearances, Lindstrom was 1-for-4 and drove home a run.

Red Lucas was born on May 23, 1902 in Columbia, TN and died on July 9, 1986 in Nashville, TN (Spring Hill Cemetery). Lucas had a 15-year major league career with the New York Giants (1923), Boston Braves (1924), Reds (1926-33) and Pirates (1934-38). He finished sixth in the voting for the 1929 NL MVP with an 18-12 record in 32 games (28 complete), a 3.60 ERA and 72 strikeouts. Lucas' career record was 157-135 with 602 K's and a 3.72 ERA in 396 games.

Bill McTigue was born on June 3, 1891 in Nashville, TN and died on May 8, 1920 in Nashville, TN (Calvary Cemetery). McTigue played two seasons with the Boston Braves (1911-12) and one season with Detroit (1916). The pitcher was 2-5 in 27 career games, 41 strikeouts and a 6.19 ERA. McTigue died of lung cancer at age 28.

John Mihalic was born on Sept. 13, 1911 in Cleveland, Ohio and died on April 24, 1987 in Fort Oglethorpe, GA (Woodlawn Memorial Park). Mihalic played second base for Washington (1935-37) appearing in 69 games batting .244 with no home runs and 22 RBI. He also played for the Nashville Vols (1939-44).

Jay Partridge was born on Nov. 15, 1902 in Mountsville, GA and died on Jan. 14, 1974 in Nashville, TN (Woodlawn Memorial Park). Partridge, a second baseman, played for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1927-28) batting .259 in 189 games with seven home runs and 52 RBI. He played three seasons with the Nashville Vols (1926,1929-30).

Tom Rogers was born on Feb. 12, 1892 in Sparta, TN and died on Oct. 1, 1936 in Nashville, TN (Spring Hill Cemetery). Rogers pitched for the St. Louis Browns (1917-19), Philadelphia A's (1919) and Yankees (1921). His lifetime record was 15-30 with a 3.95 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 83 games. Playing for the Nashville Vols (1916), Rogers hit New Orleans batter Johnny Dodge (Rogers Vols' teammate the previous season) in the head with a pitch. Dodge died two days later. Rogers also pitched a perfect game that season, the only one in Southern Association history.

Henry Schmidt was born on June 26, 1873 in Brownsville, TX and died on April 23, 1926 in Nashville, TN (Spring Hill Cemetery). Schmidt pitched just one season for Brooklyn (1903) with a 22-13 record, 3.83 ERA and 96 strikeouts. He did not like living in the East choosing a minor league career on the West Coast. His 22 victories are the most for a major league pitcher playing just one season.

Bob Schultz was born on Nov. 27, 1923 in Louisville, KY and died on March 31, 1979 in Nashville, TN (Nashville National Cemetery). Schultz pitched in 69 games for the Cubs (1951-53), Pirates (1953) and Detroit (1955). He was 9-13 with a 5.16 ERA and 183 career strikeouts. "Bullet Bob" won 25 games for the Nashville Vols in 1950.

Bill Schwartz was born on April 22, 1884 in Cleveland, Ohio and died on Aug. 29, 1961 in Nashville, TN (Woodlawn Memorial Park). The infielder played just one season for Cleveland (1904) appearing in 24 games batting .151 with no home runs and no RBI. Schwartz was manager of the Vols (1911-15) and Vanderbilt University's head coach (1927-32, 1934-40).

Dick Sisler was born on Nov. 2, 1920 in St. Louis, MO and died on Nov. 20, 1998 in Nashville, TN (Woodlawn Memorial Park). The son of Hall of Famer George Sisler played in the outfield and first base for the Cardinals (1946-47, 1952-52), Phillies (1948-51) and Reds (1952). He played in 799 games batting .276 with 55 home runs and 360 RBI. After his career, Sisler coached for the Reds, Cardinals, Padres, Mets and Yankees. Sisler also managed the Nashville Vols (1958-59) and the Reds (1964)

Vito Tamulis was born on July 11, 1911 in Cambridge, MA and died on May 5, 1974 in Nashville, TN (Nashville National Cemetery). Tamulis pitched in 170 games for the Yankees (1934-35), Browns (1938), Brooklyn (1938-41) and Phillies (1941). In his career, Tamulis was 40-28 with a 3.97 ERA and 294 strikeouts. Tamulis played for the Nashville Vols (1941-42,1946) and was 20-8 for the 1942 team.

Fred Toney was born on Dec. 11, 1888 in Nashville, TN and died on March 11, 1953 in Nashville, TN (Spring Hill Cemetery). Toney pitched in the major leagues for the Cubs (1911-13), Cincinnati (1915-18), Giants (1918-22) and Cardinals (1923). In his career, Toney was 139-102 with a 2.69 ERA and 718 strikeouts in 336 games. In 1917, Toney dueled Hippo Vaughn of the Cubs where each pitcher recorded a no-hitter past nine innings. The Reds scored two runs in the top of the 10th inning and Toney held Cincinnati hitless in the 10th.

Jim Turner was born on August 6, 1903 in Nashville, TN and died on Nov. 29, 1998 in Nashville, TN (Woodlawn Memorial Park). Turner pitched in 231 games compiling a 69-60 record with a 3.22 ERA and 329 strikeouts. He appeared in two World Series (1940, 1943) and was the Nashville Vols manager in 1960. Turner was a coach for the Yankees (1949-59, 1966-73) and Reds (1961-65).

   Several of these former major league players were on a Nashville Vols' roster at one time and many were born in Nashville.  

   After future Hall of Fame pitcher Rube Waddell passed away on April 1, 1914, due to tuberculosis, a simple stake marked his grave. Connie Mack, John McGraw and others collected $500 to have a marker made that still stands today.

   Major league umpire Tom Gorman died in 1986 and following his wish was buried in his umpire's uniform with a ball-strike indicator placed in his hand set to a 3-2 count.

Traughber's Tidbit: Legendary sports writer Grantland Rice is responsible for the ballpark name change from Sulphur Springs Bottom to Sulphur Dell. In the mid-1880s the ballpark was mostly referred to as Athletic Park. Rice in his Tennessean column from January 14, 1908 wrote in part:

   "With his arrival, too, the saw and the hammer get busy reclaiming the arid waste Sulphur Dell, which classic spot, with a new set of stands, will be known as Sulphur Springs Dell, and not Sulphur Spring Bottom as of, yore."

   In his columns, Rice began to shorten the name to Sulphur Dell. Nashville Banner sports writer, Fred Russell said Rice changed the name to accommodate his poetic style as he found more words to rhyme with "Dell" than "Bottom."

   If you have any comments or suggestions, contact Bill Traughber via email [email protected].