Hank Bauer

Henry Albert "Hank" Bauer (July 31, 1922 – February 9, 2007) was an American right fielder and manager in Major League Baseball. He played with the New York Yankees (from 1948 to 1959) and Kansas City Athletics (from 1960 to 1961); he batted and threw right-handed. He served as the manager of the Athletics in both Kansas City (1961–62) and in Oakland (1969), as well as of the Baltimore Orioles (1964–68), guiding the Orioles to the World Series title in 1966, a four-game sweep over the heavily favored Los Angeles Dodgers. This represented the first World Series title in the franchise's history.

Early years

Born in East St. Louis, Illinois as the youngest of nine children, Bauer was the son of an Austrian immigrant, a bartender who had earlier lost his leg in an aluminum mill. With little money coming into the home, Bauer was forced to wear clothes made out of old feed sacks, helping shape his hard-nosed approach to life. (It was said that his care-worn face "looked like a clenched fist".)

Hank Bauer (American football)

Henry John Bauer (born July 15, 1954) is a former American football running back and current professional television and radio broadcaster.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

After graduating California Lutheran University, Bauer signed as a free agent in 1976 with the Dallas Cowboys only to be cut three weeks into training camp.

San Diego Chargers

He was picked up in 1977 by the San Diego Chargers and went on to a distinguished playing and broadcasting career entirely in San Diego. Bauer was honored in November 2009 as one of the 50 Greatest Chargers in team history as part of the Chargers' 50th Anniversary season celebration held at a large outdoor ceremony in downtown San Diego. Bauer also developed as a noted media spokesman during his career and went on to TV sportcasting as well as radio.

Bauer holds the NFL single season record for most special teams tackles with 52. As a short-yardage specialist and often referred to "Hank the Howitzer" for his explosive running, Bauer finished one season with 18 carries for a total of 28 yards, scoring 8 touchdowns and achieving 9 first downs. Bauer was forced to retire in 1983, after playing six games with a broken neck.