| Paul Gregory | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pitcher | |||
| Born: June 9, 1908 Tomnolen, Mississippi | |||
| Died: September 16, 1999 (aged 91) Southaven, Mississippi | |||
| |||
| MLB debut | |||
| April 20, 1932 | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| September 24, 1933 | |||
| Teams | |||
Paul Edwin Gregory [Pop] (June 9, 1908 – September 16, 1999) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1932 through 1933 for the Chicago White Sox. Listed at 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m), 180 lb, he batted and threw right-handed.[1]
Born in Tomnolen, Mississippi, Paul Gregory was a three-sport star at Mississippi State University, lettering in football, basketball and baseball from 1926 to 1930.[2]
After graduating, Gregory spent thirty five years in baseball as a player and college coach. He also coached college basketball for nine years and was a World War II veteran.[2][3]
Gregory started his professional baseball career in 1931 with Class-A Atlanta Crackers, posting an 8–6 record and a 5.17 earned run average in 45 games (11 starts).[4]
With the White Sox in 1932 and 1933, Gregory was just 9–14 with a 4.72 ERA. His career highlight came on May 26, 1933, when he defeated Red Ruffing and the host New York Yankees, 8–6, allowing one earned run in seven-plus innings while retiring Babe Ruth in five at-bats.[1][5]
Following his majors stint, Gregory returned to play on the minor league system for nine years before serving in the US Navy during World War II, from 1943 to 1945. After military discharge he pitched for Triple-A Seattle Rainiers and Hollywood Stars between 1946 and 1947.[4]
After his playing retirement, Gregory began his coaching career in 1947 when he was asked by his former Mississippi State baseball coach Dudy Noble, by then the school's athletic director, to coach the Bulldogs basketball team.[6]
Gregory was in charge of the basketball squad from 1947 to 1955, then he led the Bulldogs baseball team to 15 winning seasons from 1954 through 1974, including four Southeastern Conference titles (1965–66, 1970–71) and a berth to the 1971 College World Series.[2]
A four-time SEC Coach of the Year, Gregory was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1977 and the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 1982.[7][8]
Paul Gregory died in Southaven, Mississippi, at the age of 91.
MLB statistics
| GP | W | L | W-L% | ERA | GS | GF | CG | IP | H | RA | ER | HR | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56 | 9 | 14 | .391 | 4.72 | 26 | 16 | 8 | 221⅓ | 249 | 150 | 116 | 18 | 98 | 57 |
Head coaching record
Baseball
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi State Bulldogs (Southeastern Conference) (1957–1974) | |||||||||
| 1957 | Mississippi State | 13–5 | 10–5 | ||||||
| 1958 | Mississippi State | 14–10 | 8–6 | ||||||
| 1959 | Mississippi State | 12–13 | 5–10 | ||||||
| 1960 | Mississippi State | 16–11 | 8–8 | ||||||
| 1961 | Mississippi State | 12–7 | 7–6 | ||||||
| 1962 | Mississippi State | 21–5–1 | 14–1–1 | 1st (West) | |||||
| 1963 | Mississippi State | 17–11 | 9–7 | ||||||
| 1964 | Mississippi State | 17–12 | 7–7 | ||||||
| 1965 | Mississippi State | 16–10 | 11–4 | 1st | NCAA District III Tournament | ||||
| 1966 | Mississippi State | 20–11 | 11–4 | 1st | NCAA District III Tournament | ||||
| 1967 | Mississippi State | 17–14 | 9–9 | ||||||
| 1968 | Mississippi State | 16–17 | 7–10 | ||||||
| 1969 | Mississippi State | 20–10 | 11–7 | ||||||
| 1970 | Mississippi State | 32–8 | 11–4 | 1st | NCAA District III Tournament | ||||
| 1971 | Mississippi State | 32–12 | 13–5 | 1st | NCAA District III Tournament, College World Series | ||||
| 1972 | Mississippi State | 24–16 | 7–11 | 6th | |||||
| 1973 | Mississippi State | 16–14 | 5–9 | 9th | |||||
| 1974 | Mississippi State | 13–14 | 8–9 | 6th | |||||
| Mississippi State: | 328–200–1 (.621) | 161–113 (.588) | |||||||
| Total: | 328–161–1 (.670)[9] | ||||||||
| National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
Basketball
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi State Bulldogs (Southeastern Conference) (1947–1955) | |||||||||
| 1947–48 | Mississippi State | 6–12 | 6–10 | 9th | |||||
| 1948–49 | Mississippi State | 4–13 | 3–12 | 12th | |||||
| 1949–50 | Mississippi State | 7–11 | 6–10 | 10th | |||||
| 1950–51 | Mississippi State | 3–16 | 2–12 | 12th | |||||
| 1951–52 | Mississippi State | 12–11 | 4–10 | 10th | |||||
| 1952–53 | Mississippi State | 9–10 | 5–8 | T–7th | |||||
| 1953–54 | Mississippi State | 11–10 | 5–9 | T–8th | |||||
| 1954–55 | Mississippi State | 16–17 | 2–12 | 12th | |||||
| Mississippi State: | 58–100 (.367) | 33–83 (.284) | |||||||
| Total: | 58–100 (.367)[10] | ||||||||
References
- ^ a b "Baseball-Reference.com – Major league profile".
- ^ a b c "Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame Biography". Archived from the original on July 17, 2011.
- ^ Baseball in Wartime
- ^ a b "Baseball-Reference.com – Minor league career".
- ^ Retrosheet – Game Played on Friday, May 26, 1933 (D) at Yankee Stadium
- ^ The Deadball Era
- ^ American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame Inductees
- ^ Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum Inductees Archived May 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ 2013 Mississippi State Baseball Media Guide Archived December 10, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ 2013 Mississippi State Men's Basketball Media Guide Archived December 10, 2013, at the Wayback Machine