Curt flood made pro athletes full#
Curt flood made pro athletes professional#

Lasting Impactġ961 was a special year for Frank Robinson who earned his first league MVP award after scoring 117 runs, hitting 37 home runs and driving in 124 runs. While his career never reached the level of his two teammates from Oakland, Vada Pinson’s career was consistent. However, in 1961 he earned the only Gold Glove Award of his career. From there, Pinson would never reach another All Star Game.

Curt flood made pro athletes full#

He made the All Star Game his first two full seasons with the Reds, hitting 20 home runs each year and having a batting average as high as.

Curt flood made pro athletes professional#

Vada Pinson hit the ground running as a professional athlete in 1959.

In the years to come, that would all change. Through his early years, Flood never made an All Star Game. The following year he hit 12 home runs while driving in 70 runs. Things began to pick up for Flood in 1961 when he batted. He was traded to the Saint Louis Cardinals in 1958 where his star would shine for the next decade.įlood hit ten home runs in his first year in the Gateway to the West and went into a slump for the next two years, never batting at least. He struck out in his lone plate appearance in 1956 but did hit a home run in three plate appearances the following year. But his journey was far from over.Ĭurt Flood didn’t spend much time in the minor leagues and was playing for the Reds in the same year that he graduated from high school, albeit sparingly. 300 in 1960 and missed the All Star game. He was an All Star again the following year by slamming 36 home runs and raising his batting average to. Robinson didn’t make the All Star roster in 1958 but he did earn his only Gold Glove Award and hit 31 home runs. He was even better in 1957, raising his batting average to. He recorded 166 hits, 122 runs and 38 home runs while being named the Rookie of the Year and making his first All Star Game. Early SuccessĪfter three years in the minor leagues, Frank Robinson came to Cincinnati ready to shine in 1956. Each of these players would leave an indelible mark on the MLB in the decades to come. Vada Pinson also signed with the Reds in 1956. Curt Flood transferred to Oakland Tech High School after his freshman year and signed with the Reds in 1956. While these two pursuits were at time distracting, it kept these two players well rounded and their minds sharp.įollowing his graduation in 1953, Frank Robinson signed with the Cincinnati Reds for $3,500. Flood had his distractions from the diamond as well including painting. However, baseball won him over and he kept the trumpet as a hobby. Initially, Pinson had many other interests than just baseball including the trumpet in the school band. They got even better during Robinson’s senior year when two freshmen enrolled: Curt Flood and Vada Pinson. In those days, McClymonds was a true power in baseball and with Robinson on the team they were nearly unstoppable. Robinson helped Russell win it all in 1952 but his greatest talent was on the baseball diamond.įrank Robinson could do it all on the field: hit, hit for power, run, throw and field. Bill Russell was a year ahead of him and by the time Robinson was a sophomore, Russell was leading the Warriors to the first of two straight state championships. Vada Pinson was born on Augin Memphis, Tennessee, moving to Oakland as a small child.Įntering high school in the fall of 1949, Frank Robinson had visions of a basketball career, not one in baseball.

Frank Robinson was born on Augin Beaumont, Texas, moving to Oakland a few years later. Three WarriorsĬurt Flood was born on Januin Houston, Texas, moving to Oakland when he was young. Eventually, each would leave his own unique mark on the game of baseball. Curt Flood, Frank Robinson and Vada Pinson had many years of big league baseball to look forward to, but their time as McClymonds Warriors would shape the way that they viewed the world. While future NBA Hall of Famer Bill Russell was dominating the competition on the hardwood, three students were making a name for themselves on the baseball diamond. In the early 1950’s, McClymonds High School in Oakland, California boasted a rich amount of talent in both basketball and baseball.