Jack Coombs

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Jack Coombs American Tobacco Co. baseball card, 1911

John Wesley "Jack" Coombs (November 18, 1882 – April 15, 1957), nicknamed Colby Jack after his alma mater, was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played with the Philadelphia Athletics (1906-1914), Brooklyn Robins (1915-1918), and Detroit Tigers (1920). Coombs set a number of records in the American League and World League which stand to this day.

Born in LeGrand, Iowa, Coombs was a 1906 graduate of Colby College in Waterville, Maine, where he was a chemistry major and a member of Delta Upsilon. He also participated in football, track, and tennis. Colby's baseball field is named for him.

Three weeks after graduating, he pitched in his first major league game for Philadelphia. His best season was 1910. He had a record of 31-9, led the American League in wins (31), games played (45), and shutouts (13). He also won three games in the 1910 World Series, in which the Athletics defeated the Chicago Cubs. He made appearances in the 1911 and 1916 World Series. In 1919, he was the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies for one season before he returned to playing.

Coombs became a championship-winning coach at Duke University (1929-1952) who sent many players to the majors. Duke University's baseball field is named after him.

He spent his retirement as a sports historian and writer and has contributed to SABR publications. In 1945, he published, "Baseball - Individual Play and Team Strategy".