Bibb Falk
From BR Bullpen
Bibb August Falk (Jockey)
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 6' 0", Weight 175 lb.
- School University of Texas at Austin
- Debut September 17, 1920
- Final Game September 23, 1931
- Born January 27, 1899 in Austin, TX USA
- Died June 8, 1989 in Austin, TX USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Bibb Falk found a job when the Black Sox Scandal opened up a lot of positions on the 1921 Chicago White Sox. He turned out to be a good player, with a .314 lifetime batting average.
Falk, whose given first name was Bibb, was born in 1899. He was a star at the University of Texas in football and as a pitcher.
He broke in with the White Sox for 7 games in 1920, and became an everyday player in 1921. The reconstituted White Sox were an old team, with four regulars between the ages of 32-34, a couple at age 28, and one at age 26. Falk, at 22, was the only one under 26.
In 1924, he hit his highest batting average with a .352, which ranked third in the league behind Babe Ruth and Charlie Jamieson. He had 99 RBI in both 1924 and 1925, and then in 1926 had 108 RBI as he hit .345, seventh in the league. Seven of the ten league leaders in batting average from 1926 ended up in the Hall of Fame.
His average dipped down to .290 in 1928 (the league average was .281), and he was traded to the Cleveland Indians, where he spent the rest of his major league career. He hit over .300 each year for them as he gradually became a pinch-hitter and backup. His slugging percentage of .507 in 1929 was a personal high, in a league whose slugging percentage was .407.
Based on the similarity scores method, three of the five most similar players are Tommy Holmes, Riggs Stephenson, and Irish Meusel.
After his major league career ended, Falk spent one year as player/manager with the Toledo Mud Hens, hitting .321, then the next year was a member of the Cleveland Indians coaching staff in 1933 (and interim manager for one game) and a Boston Red Sox coach the following year. He was a Red Sox scout from 1934 to 1939.
However, he gained greater renown as baseball coach at the University of Texas at Austin, leading the school to consecutive national titles in 1949 and 1950. Except during his time in World War II, he coached at Texas from 1940 to 1967, winning 476 games.
UFCU Disch-Falk Field at the University of Texas is named for him and another coach, Billy Disch.
- Brother of pitcher Chet Falk.
- Falk is the one who bestowed the nickname of "Suitcase Bob" on Bob Seeds, because he moved around so much.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 100 RBI Seasons: 1 (1926)
