Howie Schultz

Howard Henry "Howie" Schultz (July 3, 1922 – October 30, 2009), nicknamed "Stretch" and "Steeple",^[1] was an American baseball and basketball player from Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Due to his height, 6-foot-6-inch (1.98 m), he was not allowed to serve in the armed forces during World War II.^[2] From 1943 to 1948, Schultz, played Major League Baseball as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Cincinnati Reds. He primarily played as a first baseman and has a career batting average of .241. Schultz was traded by Brooklyn to make room for Jackie Robinson.

In the offseason, Schultz played professional basketball. He was with the Anderson Packers of the NBL for three seasons. When the Packers moved to the NBA, Schultz served as their player-coach before being traded to the Fort Wayne Pistons midseason. Schultz later played two seasons with Minneapolis Lakers, winning a championship in 1952. Schultz averaged 9.7 points per game in the NBL, and 5.3 in the NBA^[3] Schultz was one of the few players who qualified for pensions from both major league baseball and the NBA.

Death

Howie Schultz died on October 30, 2009, aged 87, after a brief battle with cancer, in Chaska, Minnesota.^[2]

Basketball career

In the 1949-1950 season, Howie Schultz played for the Anderson Packers. In the same year, he was traded to the Fort Wayne Pistons. In the 1950-1951 season, he left for basketball to play baseball. He later joined the Minneapolis Lakers for two seasons. In the championship against the New York Knicks, Schultz reportedly threw a punch at 6'3" Small Forward Ernie Vandeweghe in game 4 of the NBA Championship. Schultz was ejected after receiving a Technical Foul and received a 50 dollar fine. He retired after 4 years in the league in 1952.

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Howie Schultz at Basketball-Reference.com
• Howie Schultz at Find a Grave