ACBL Hall of Fame

Class of 1949

It's time to announce the results of the ACBL Hall of Fame voting.  12 managers voted, so 9 votes were needed for election.  We had an outstanding group of players eligible, but three stood out and are the members of the ACBL Hall of Fame Class of 1949.  The envelope please.....

Red Ruffing
1930 Dumont Dark Stockings, 1931-40 Iowa Harvesters, 1941-42, 45-46 Corleone Family

The current all-time ACBL leader in wins with 241, he played in three World Series, winning league titles with Iowa in 1937 and Corleone in 1941.  In 1945, after missing two years for military service, he fired the only no-hitter of his career against Santa Barbara.  He won more than 20 games 3 times, including 26 in 1932, won more than 10 games 13 consecutive years, and never finished a season with a losing record.  Also an accomplished batter, he hit .262 for his career with 38 home runs.

Mel Ott
1930-37 Nashua Panthers, 1938-46 Saukville Saints

The most accomplished batter in league history, he finished his career as the all-time ACBL leader in home runs, hits, RBIs, runs, and walks.  He was the leader of the Nashua Panther team that appeared in 6 consecutive World Series, winning the title three times, and played his entire career with the Nashua/Saukville franchise.  He led the league in HRs 3 times and hit more than 10 HRs in 15 consecutive seasons.  His best season may have been 1934, when he hit .362 with 43 HRs, 161 runs scored and 171 RBIs, leading the Federal League in the last 3 categories.

Bill Dickey
1930-32 Islip Barons, 1933 Rosecroix Templars, 1933-37 Nashua Panthers, 1938-42, 46 Saukville Saints

A rock behind the plate, he ranks in the top 10 all-time in the ACBL in batting average and runs batted in despite playing the demanding catching position.  He was a part of 5 Nashua Panther World Series squads after coming to Nashua in a key mid-season trade in 1933, and also appeared in the 1931 World Series with Islip.  He was particularly outstanding from 1936-38, hitting over .340 and driving in more than 100 runs each season.  He hit over .300 in 11 of his 16 seasons.

The voting results are below - as you can see, a number of other players narrowly missed election.  All players who received at least one vote will appear on next year's ballot.

1949 ACBL Hall of Fame Voting Results

1. Mel Ott – 12 - ELECTED
2. Bill Dickey – 11 - ELECTED
3. Red Ruffing – 10 - ELECTED
Ted Lyons – 8
Al Simmons – 7
Bob Johnson – 5
Chuck Klein – 5
Wes Ferrell – 4
Hal Trotsky – 4
Tommy Bridges – 3
Gabby Hartnett – 3
Dolph Camilli – 2
Curt Davis – 2
Joey Kuhel – 2
Lloyd Waner – 2
Wally Berger - 1
Pinky Higgins - 1
Bill Lee - 1
Buddy Myer - 1
Gus Suhr - 1
Mace Brown - 0
George Caster - 0
Ben Chapman - 0
Harlond Clift - 0
Babe Dahlgren - 0
Gene DeSautels - 0
Vince DiMaggio - 0
Lou Finney - 0
Al Hollingsworth - 0
Johnny Lanning - 0
Ken O'Dea - 0
Frankie Pytlak - 0
Lew Riggs - 0
Hal Schumacher - 0
Tuck Stainback - 0
Bill Zuber - 0