William

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William Dummy Hoy

• 1st deaf major-leaguer

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• Born May 23, 1862 on a farm in Houcktown, Ohio
• Born Hearing

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• Age 2 or 3- became deaf from brain fever
  (spinal meningitis)
• Had 3 Hearing brothers
• No school until 10 yrs old
• Went to the Deaf and Dumb Institute (now Ohio
  School for the Deaf)

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Ohio School For the Deaf Circa 1900
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• OSD was 1st school for the Deaf to have baseball
• Hoy was trained in shoemaking
• Graduated 1879- valedictorian after only 8 years
  of education
• Returned home opened shoe-repair shop
• Business was slow in summertime- Why?

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• Hoy his 3 brothers joined the Stonewall
  Jackson club (amateur team)
• Played as catcher
• Under estimated as he was small (54 or 55
  tall 145-155 lbs)
• Invited to play on other teams locally-
• Decided he was good enough to try pro baseball

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• Age 24, (1886)closed his shop, boarded a train in
  middle of night to Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Didnt tell his strict parents Why?
• 1886- began pro career in Oshkosh, Wisconsin for
  75 a month how much today?
• Later- went home, sold the shop, got the
  blessing from his parents
• Dummy- nickname for any Deaf player- Hoy proud
  to be called Dummy Why?

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Hand Signals

• Taught his teammates fingerspelling signs
• They used them as secret signals during games
• 1887- asked teammate/coach to use his arms to
  signal strikes balls

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MAJOR LEAGUE TIME

• 1888- Joins Washington Senators
• Led national league in base stealing after rookie
  year (82)
• June 18, 1889- did something incredible against
  IndianapolisWhat ????

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Washington Senators Field circa 1901
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• 1890- joined Buffalo Brotherhood team
• 1891 joined St. Louis Browns
• 1892 back to Washington
• 1894- sold to Cincinnati Reds (4 seasons)gtgtgt 1894
  team
• 1898- traded to Louisville Colonels
• 1901- Chicago White Sox May 1st- hit 2nd
  grand-slam home run in new American League. They
  won the pennant

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1902 returned to RedsAugust 7, 1902- Reds
released him
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End of Baseball Career

• 1,792 games in major leagues
• .291 lifetime batting average
• Finished career in Los Angeles in winter league
• Married Anna Maria Lowery (Deaf) in 1903
• 3 children- Carmen, Clover, Carson
• 1903- bought dairy farm Cincinnati, Ohio
• Sold farm in 1924
• Coached Goodyear Silents1919-1920

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Hoy Honored

• 1951- 1st player in AAAD hall of fame
• October 7, 1961- tossed 1st ball at Opening Day
  of 3rd World Series game Reds vs Yankees at
  Crosley Field
• Finally..
• December 15, 1961- died of a stroke (99 years old)

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Should he be in the Baseball Hall of Fame?
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William Hoy Film

• Location- My Videos