Description
Chief Meyers
Born: July 29, 1880 in Riverside, California
Died: July 25, 1971 (aged 90) in San Bernardino, California
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 5’11″
Weight: 194 lbs.
Positions: Catcher
Played For:
New York Giants (1909–1915)
Brooklyn Robins (1916–1917)
Boston Braves (1917)
Biography:
John Tortes “Chief” Meyers (July 29, 1880 – July 25, 1971) was a Major League Baseball catcher for the New York Giants, Boston Braves, and Brooklyn Robins from 1909 to 1917. He played on the early Giants teams under manager John McGraw and was the primary catcher for Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson. Meyers hit over .300 for three straight years as the Giants won three straight National League pennants from 1911 to 1913. Overall, he played in four World Series – the 1911, 1912, and 1913 Series with the Giants, as well as the 1916 Series with the Robins. Meyers was a Native American from the Cahuilla culture of California, and he was educated at Dartmouth College.
As a Native American playing in the Deadball Era, Jack Meyers couldn’t avoid being saddled with the nickname “Chief,” but he did as much as any Native American of his generation to shatter the stereotypical image of the dumb Indian. Meyers was far more sophisticated than most of his fellow players. “A strong love of justice, a lightning sense of humor, a fund of general information that runs from politics to Plato, a quick, logical mind, and the self-contained, dignified poise that is the hallmark of good breeding-he is easily the most remarkable player in the big leagues,” wrote one reporter. On the field, the strong but slow-footed Meyers was almost certainly the best offensive catcher of the Deadball Era, retiring with a .291 average for his nine-year career.
A member of the Cahuilla tribe, also called the Mission Indians, John Tortes Meyers was born on July 29, 1880, in Riverside, California. Because Jack’s father died when he was only seven years old, his mother, Felicite, became the most important influence in his early life. Meyers attended Riverside High School and played semipro baseball throughout the Southwest. During the summer of 1905 he was catching in a tournament in Albuquerque when he caught the attention of a rival player named Ralph Glaze. A baseball and football standout at Dartmouth College who later made the majors as a pitcher with the 1906-08 Boston Americans, Glaze thought the 5’11”, 194-pound catcher could help his college team on both the gridiron and the diamond. Pointing out that the school’s charter provided for the education of Native Americans, Glaze convinced Dartmouth alumni in his hometown of Denver to equip Meyers with cash, railroad tickets, and even an altered diploma because Meyers hadn’t completed high school.
More info:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Meyers
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/meyerch01.shtml
https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/d090eef4
