As a short guy myself, I appreciate those athletes of my height (or shorter!) that have made a name for themselves in professional sports. A couple of favorites that come to mind are Tony Campana (5'8"), formerly of the Cubs and Diamondbacks, and Doug Flutie, who I enjoyed watching upon his return to the NFL in the late 90s. A Google search claims that Flutie is 5'10", meaning he's somehow grown an inch or two since retiring at age 43. Maybe I should start saying I'm 5'10".
I recently chronicled the tallest players from 1973 Topps, but today is an ode to the short guys, all of them less than 5'8".
The Shortest Players of 1973 Topps
Joe Morgan (5'7")
Who knew this list would feature a Hall of Famer? And it would feature two more if I included manager cards (Yogi Berra and Earl Weaver were both 5'7").
Vic Davalillo (5'7")
After the 1973 season, Davalillo spent a few years playing in Mexico, returning to MLB with the Dodgers in 1977. He retired after the 1980 season, having spent his final years appearing primarily as a pinch hitter. Davalillo's older brother Pompeyo, who played just one MLB season (1953), was 5'3".
Walt Williams (5'6")
Williams overall height was affected, according to his obituary, by a typhus injection he received as a young child that caused his neck to shrink.
Freddie Patek (5'4" or 5'5")
One of the great cards from the set and one that is very characteristic of 1973 Topps. It just happens to belong to the shortest player in the league at the time, too. The card lists Patek at 5'4", though official records now indicate he is 5'5".
Do you have any favorite "short" baseball players or other athletes?
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ReplyDelete'70s was a great time for short ballplayers. ... Mookie Betts is probably my current favorite short ballplayer. 5-9 might not be the shortest but he's among the best.
ReplyDeleteJose Altuve, Rudy Ruettiger, Kirby Puckett, Muggsy Bogues, and Spud Webb.
ReplyDeleteGiven how many players of above average height were in your previous post, I expected there to be more of below average in this follow-up. I guess there just wasn't a lot of short players at the time.
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