Eric Tipton

Infobox MLB retired
name=Eric Tipton


position=Outfielder
birthdate=birth date|1915|4|20
Petersburg, Virginia
deathdate=death date and age|2001|8|29|1915|4|20
Newport News, Virginia
bats=Right
throws=Right
debutdate=June 9
debutyear=by|1939
debutteam=Philadelphia Athletics
finaldate=September 29
finalyear=by|1945
finalteam=Cincinnati Reds
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.270
stat2label=Hits
stat2value=439
stat3label=Home runs
stat3value=22
teams=
* Philadelphia Athletics (by|1939-by|1941)
* Cincinnati Reds (by|1942-by|1945)

Eric Gordon Tipton (April 20, 1915 – August 29, 2001) [cite web | work=The Deadball Era | url=http://www.thedeadballera.com/Obits/Tipton.Eric.Obit.html | title=The Obit for Eric Tipton | accessdate=2008-08-05] was an outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Philadelphia Athletics and the Cincinnati Reds. Also known as a college football player, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1965.

Early life

Tipton was born in Petersburg, Virginia and attended Petersburg High School.cite web | work=College Football Hall of Fame | url=http://www.collegefootball.org/famersearch.php?id=30024 | title=Eric Tipton's College Football HOF Profile | accessdate=2008-08-05]

College football career

Tipton played college football at Duke University as a running back and punter. While there, the Blue Devils won 25 games and lost only four, and won the Southern Conference championship in 1936 and 1938. For his college career, he rushed for 1,633 yards and scored 17 touchdowns.cite web | work=College Football Historical Society | url=http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/CFHSN/CFHSNv15/CFHSNv15n2g.pdf | title=College Football Historical Society Newsletter: Volume XV, Number II, February 2002 | accessdate=2008-08-05]

One of the games he was most known for was against the University of Pittsburgh in 1938. During the game, Tipton had seven punts that stayed within Pitts' own 10-yard line, and another seven stopped inside the 20 yard line. The punting proved beneficial and Duke won 7-0.

Professional career

Tipton was drafted in the thirteenth round of the 1939 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins, but chose to play professional baseball instead. [cite web | work=Washington Redskins | url=http://www.redskins.com/team/history-draft.jsp#1930 | title=History: Draft History - 1930 | accessdate=2008-08-05] He played outfield for the Philadelphia Athletics (1939-1941) and the Cincinnati Reds (1942-1945). His best seasons in the majors were in 1943 and 1944, when he had 142 hits and batted .288 in '43, and had 144 hits and batted .301 in '44. Tipton then played in the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball with the St. Paul Saints and the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League.

After playing days

Tipton was an assistant baseball coach at the College of William & Mary, and then was the head baseball coach and assistant football coach at the United States Military Academy.

References

External links

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