One of the best things about Strat-o-Matic baseball is learning about the history of an era when playing the game.
My recent 1964 tournament featured members of the Baseball Hall of Fame like Bob Gibson and Mickey Mantle with Hank Aaron‘s Milwaukee Braves winning the title.
Even with all of the great players and some awesome games in the tourney, the most interesting item that came to light for me involved a guy who was never made it to the major leagues as a player.
Mel McGaha began 1964 as coach for the Kansas City A’s, while finishing the season as the team’s manager. His name probably wouldn’t be on anyone’s radar in regard to a Strat-o-Matic replay. His team also lost 9-1 to the Minnesota Twins in the only game the A’s played in the tourney.
During three years as a manager in the big leagues, McGaha never completed a full season as he didn’t make it through 1965 with the A’s. Prior to Kansas City, he was in charge of the Cleveland Indians until the final day of the season in 1962.
As strange as being let go on the final day of a season might be, there’s so much more about McGaha.
McGaha’s baseball career began in 1948 as he played for the Duluth Dukes, which was a Class C team in the St. Louis Cardinals organization. On July 24 of that year, the Dukes were involved in a bus accident that killed four players and the team’s manager.
After spending over two decades in baseball as a player and manager his career on the field came to an end as a coach with the Houston Astros in 1970.
McGaha led Shreveport to a Texas League crown in 1955 before taking Toronto to the International League title in 1960.
Two-Time Hall of Fame Inductee
In 1970, McGaha became a member of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame. According to some newspaper accounts at that time, McGaha signed professional contracts in baseball, basketball and football.
The New York Knicks selected McGaha in the third round before the 1948-49 season. That year turned out to be McGaha’s only season as a pro basketball player as he averaged 3.5 PPG in 51 contests.
While playing for the Knicks, Mel McGaha scored 18 points in a New York 89-77 victory over Providence on Jan. 26, 1949. According to an article in the New York Daily, Knicks coach Joe Lapchick missed the affair because he was in the hospital with an “internal disorder” perhaps caused by a five-game losing streak.
A 1948 graduate, McGaha was inducted into the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor for baseball as well as basketball and football in 1990. He also served as the head basketball coach at Arkansas A & M for two years in the 1950s. He passed away in 2002 at the age of 75.