John Gunshannon

John Francis Gunshanan
(Gunny)

• Height 5' 8", Weight 156 lb.

• Born May 17, 1868 in Hartford, CT USA
• Died August 4, 1930 in Hartford, CT USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

John Gunshannon was a minor league outfielder from 1888 to 1899. Though his family name was Gunshanan, "Jack" or "Gunny" was more often known as Gunshannon in his playing days. The Hartford native remained a prominent citizen in his hometown afterwards, becoming known as the "Mayor of Frog Hollow", and at that point was typically referred to as Gunshanan.

After playing for teams around Hartford as a teenager, most often as a catcher, Gunshannon began to play outside of the city for the first time in 1887, with semi-pro teams in Pittsfield, MA and Holyoke, MA, where he played as an outfielder. In 1888 he signed with Allentown, PA in the Central League, where he mostly played center field and occasionally filled in at catcher. He was with the club for the entire season, and hit .228 with 27 stolen bases in 97 games.

In 1889, Gunshannon played briefly in the Atlantic Association, having trials with Lowell, MA in May and Wilkes-Barre, PA in June. After some other stops with independent teams, including another stint in Pittsfield, he finished the season playing in the strong city league of Troy, NY. In 1890, Troy placed a team in the New York State League and Gunshannon was one of the club's first signings and worked as a recruiter for the club. A popular player in seemingly every place he played, the industrious young man also spent two weeks that spring coaching the Trinity College ball club, which he would do again in 1891. The 22-year-old had his most successful professional season in 1890, as the regular center fielder and leadoff hitter for the pennant-wiInnning Troy club, where he hit .296 and led the league with 96 runs scored.

Gunshannon signed with Albany, to play the 1891 season in the Eastern Association. However, that May he suffered a serious beaning to the head, which led to mis-reports of his death and an extended absence from the lineup. He returned to the lineup in June, but ended up hitting just .248 in 69 games with Albany, mostly playing left field.

After recuperating from his head injury, Gunshannon started to play regularly again in 1894 with an independent team in Hartford, also playing for some other clubs in Connecticut. In 1895 he was again with Hartford, which for part of the year was in the short-lived Connecticut State League, where he hit .407 in six league games. Gunshannon led an effort to have Hartford play in the Atlantic League in 1896, and though another leadership group was given the franchise, he played part of the year with the club, batting .259 in 52 games. At that time he was also working as the financial secretary for the Hartford Cathedral Lyceum, playing for their club in the city league, and also played later in the year for an independent team in Meriden, CT.

By 1897 the Connecticut State League was more stable and Gunshannon opened the season as captain of the Bristol club. In June he moved to Waterbury, where he was again briefly captain before Roger Connor joined the club and took over as manager and captain. At that time polo, a forerunner of roller hockey, was popular in the area and Gunshannon worked that winter as a referee in the state polo league.

As the 1898 season opened, Gunshannon announced that he was retired from playing baseball, having taken a job with the Connecticut Catholic newspaper, though he managed the Hartford Reserves club that spring and filled in for some games in the summer with Waterbury in the state league. He worked to bring Bristol back into the state league in 1899 and was awarded the franchise, also acting as the team's manager throughout the season. The team drew well despite Bristol's small population, and while working through a large turnover in players, Gunshannon's managing was lauded and the team finished in third place at 48-45, leading the league with a .285 team batting average. In a July 28 game in New Haven, Gunshannon, "a gentleman known to be eminently fair in his dealings", was punched and knocked to the ground by an umpire following a disputed decision, leading the the umpire's dismissal from the league. Gunshannon periodically played for his Bristol club, and hit .345 in 26 games, which would be his final action as a player.

Gunshannon was involved with the state polo league again that winter and considered managing another ball club in 1900, though decided to focus on business instead. He was part of the effort to help keep Hartford in the Eastern League in 1900. At times he also would fill in as an umpire for games around the state.

Afterward, "Mayor Jack" remained involved in the Hartford community, though was never an elected politician. He led the West Side Workingmen's Club, which fought for the rights of factory workers, accompanied Theodore Roosevelt on a tour of Hartford, and arranged for some benefit games between major league teams to be played in the city. He became most known for his fight against tuberculosis, doing his own relief work and serving for a time on the State Tuberculosis Commission.

Related Sites

• Find-A-Grave Memorial for John Francis Gunshanan
• Jack Gunshanan profile by the Greater Hartford Twilight Baseball League