Year Inducted: 1978 (p)
Nominated By: J. Ricci and Frank Golob
Sports Competed In: Football
Athlete, Coach or Contributor: Athlete
Frank R. Papish
Before High School:
Frank pitched sand-lot baseball for various Pueblo teams until he was 17 years old, then was contacted by professional scouts.
High School:
Attended Pueblo Central H.S., graduating in 1936.
Achievements:
Professional Baseball:
● Started pro baseball career in 1936 with Rock Island (Western League)...Other Minor League clubs were: Dallas, Birmingham, Minneapolis and Little Rock.
● Spent ten seasons in the minors before getting his ticket to the "Show" in 1945.
● Best year was in 1940 with the Anniston Rams of the Class B Southeastern League going 20-14 with a 3.31 ERA while pitching 269 innings for the dead last 61-82 Rams.
● Also went 13-8 with the Little Rock Travelers with a 3.40 ERA in 1943, pitching 209 innings.
● Posted a solid 15-16 record and appeared in 40 games, pitching 277 innings, with Little Rock of the Southern Association in 1944.
● At age 27 year old, the Chicago White Sox (Major League) brought him to Comiskey Park for the 1945 season.
● Played four seasons for the White Sox and posted a 25-29 record...In his first full season with the White Sox, he went 4-4 with a 3.74 ERA in 19 appearances.
● Returned in 1946 after many major leaguers returned from the War and went 7-5 with a 2.74 ERA.
● His best year was 1947 in which he posted a 12-12 record with a 3.26 ERA, pitching in 199 innings.
● In 1948, posted a 2-8 record and wound up being traded to the Cleveland Indians (American League) for Ernest Groth and Bob Kuzava and played through 1950.
● Didn’t see much of the mound with the third place 1949 Indians, used mostly in relief and appearing in just 25 games, pitching 62 innings and finishing with a 1-0 mark and a 3.19 ERA.
● The Pittsburgh Pirates would purchase Frank on December 14, 1949 and in 1950 the last-place Pirates would use him in just 4 games, with no decisions.
● The Pirates shipped him down to the AAA Indianapolis Indians, where he went 11-3 with a 2.81 ERA for the rest of the season.
● Would spend three more years in baseball, all in the high minors, with Indianapolis, Chattanooga and Memphis.
● Finished up his minor league time with a 142-141 record and a 4.17 ERA, while pitching 2,376 innings.
● Started playing professional baseball when he was 18 years old and finished when he was 35 years old.
Related Activities:
An inspiration for American Legion and Semi-Pro ball players in Pueblo from 1938-1960.
Occupations:
● Played professional baseball.
● Worked for Gilmore Trucking Company.
● Worked as a deputy sheriff in Pueblo, Colorado, where he died August 30, 1965, at age 47.
Personal:
He was the only native Puebloan who played baseball in the Major Leagues at the time of his death.
