2. •Born May 23, 1862 on
a farm in Houcktown,
Ohio
•Born Hearing
3. • Age 2 or 3- became deaf from “brain
fever” (spinal meningitis)
• Had 3 Hearing brothers
• No school until 10 yrs old
• Went to “the Deaf and Dumb Institute”
(now Ohio School for the Deaf)
5. • OSD was 1st school for the
Deaf to have baseball
• Hoy was trained in
shoemaking
• Graduated 1879valedictorian –after only 8
years of education
• Returned home & opened
shoe-repair shop
• Business was slow in
summertime- Why?
6. • Hoy & his 3 brothers
joined the “Stonewall
Jackson” club (amateur
team)
• Played as catcher
• Under estimated as he
was small (5’4’’ or 5’5’’
tall 145-155 lbs)
• Invited to play on other
teams locally• Decided he was good
enough to try pro
baseball
7. • Age 24, (1886)closed his
shop, boarded a train in
middle of night to
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Didn’t tell his strict parents
Why?
• 1886- began pro career in
Oshkosh, Wisconsin for
$75 a month= how much
today?
• Later- went home, sold the
shop, & got the blessing
from his parents
• “Dummy”- nickname for
any Deaf player- Hoy proud
to be called “Dummy”
Why?
8. Hand Signals
• Taught his teammates fingerspelling &
signs
• They used them as “secret” signals during
games
• 1887- asked teammate/coach to use his
arms to signal strikes & balls
9. MAJOR LEAGUE TIME
• 1888- Joins Washington
Senators
• Led national league in base
stealing after rookie year (82)
• June 18, 1889- did something
incredible against
Indianapolis…What ????
11. • 1890- joined Buffalo
Brotherhood team
• 1891 joined St. Louis
Browns
• 1892 back to Washington
• 1894- sold to Cincinnati
Reds (4 seasons)>>>
1894 team
• 1898- traded to Louisville
Colonels
• 1901- Chicago White
Sox… May 1st- hit 2nd
grand-slam home run in
new American League.
They won the pennant
14. End of Baseball Career
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1,792 games in major leagues
.291 lifetime batting average
Finished career in Los Angeles in winter league
Married Anna Maria Lowery (Deaf) in 1903
3 children- Carmen, Clover, Carson
1903- bought dairy farm Cincinnati, Ohio
Sold farm in 1924
Coached Goodyear Silents1919-1920
15. Hoy Honored
• 1951- 1st player in AAAD hall of fame
• October 7, 1961- tossed 1st ball at Opening
Day of 3rd World Series game Reds vs
Yankees at Crosley Field
• Finally………..
• December 15, 1961- died of a stroke (99
years old)
Baseball was not considered an honorable profession
Safe and out
threw out 3 base runners at home plate from outfield (1st ever) only been done 2 other times
Loved Reds- fans loved him. Lived there in off season. Reporter- “Can you write? “ Yes but I can’t read”
With colonials- best batting av. 1898 .318, 1899 .306
1902 Cincinnati Reds team photo. Manager Bid McPhee pictured standing on the far right. After a slow star, McPhee stepped down as Reds manager.the league's first pennant and would serve as Hoy's only championship team. The 1902 season would turn out to be his last year. He batted a solid .290 in 72 games. May 16, 1902 faced Luther “Dummy” Taylor (1875-1958) of NY Giants Giants won 5-3 5 runs in 9th inning. Only time they played against each other
The 1902 season saw the return of manager Bid McPhee. And the Reds brought back outfielder deaf-mute Dummy Hoy. Hoy played the previous season with the Chicago White Sox of the new American League. The White Sox won the league's first pennant and would serve as Hoy's only championship team. The 1902 season would turn out to be his last year. He batted a solid .290 in 72 games.
