Shag Crawford

Henry Charles Crawford
(Shag)

• Height 6' 1", Weight 172 lb.
• Throws: Right

• Born: August 30, 1916 in Philadelphia, PA USA
• Died: July 12, 2007 in Glen Mills, PA USA

Biographical Information

The patriarch of the Crawford family, umpire Shag Crawford worked 3082 National League games between 1956 and 1975. He was also responsible for duties in two NLCS (1971 and 1974), three World Series (1961, 1963 and 1969), and three All Star Games (1959 1st Game, 1961 1st Game, 1968). His son, Jerry became an NL umpire in 1976. Another son, Joe, is an NBA referee. Both Shag and Jerry Crawford spent over a decade on the same umpiring crew as Hall of Fame umpire Doug Harvey.

Some obituaries said that Shag was a catcher in the Philadelphia Phillies farm system but no Baseball Registers reported such service and no Henry Crawford or Shag Crawford is listed in Pat Doyle's database.

He served in the United States Navy form 1944 to 1946 then began his career as an umpire in the Canadian-American League in 1950. He then moved up to the Eastern League (1950-1953) and the American Association (1954-1955).

Related Sites

• Shag Crawford on Retrosheet
• Sporting News umpire card