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| ]'' baseball card - 1954 Series, #080]] | ]'' baseball card - 1954 Series, #080]] | ||
| '''Jack Eugene Jensen''' (] ] – ] ]) was an ] ] in ] who played for three ] teams from 1950 to 1961, most notably the ]. |
'''Jack Eugene Jensen''' (] ] – ] ]) was an ] ] in ] who played for three ] teams from 1950 to 1961, most notably the ]. He was named the AL's ] in ] after hitting 35 ]s and leading the league with 122 ]; he also led the league in RBI two other years, and in ] and ]s once each. Respected for his throwing arm, he won a ] and led the AL in ] and ]s twice each. He retired in his early 30s as baseball expanded westward, due to an intense ]. After being a two-sport star in college, Jensen was the first person to play in both the ] and the ]. | ||
| ==Career== | ==Career== | ||
| Jensen was born in ]. His parents divorced when he was five, and he was raised by his mother who moved the family regularly. After serving in the ] toward the end of ], he became an ]n in two sports at the ]. As a baseball ] and outfielder, he helped California to win the inaugural ] in ]. He pitched Cal to victory in the regional final by outdueling ] of ], and in the championship Cal defeated a ] team featuring future ] ]. As a ] ], Jensen was a consensus All-American as a junior in ], becoming the first Cal player to rush for 1,000 yards. In the season-ending 7-6 victory over ] he ran for 170 yards, kicked a punt for 67 yards, and had a 32-yard run late in the game in a 4th-and-31 situation. Cal ended the regular season at 10-0 under coach ], winning a share of its first ] title in ten years, and Jensen placed fourth in the ] voting, with ] taking the award. In the ] Rose Bowl, Jensen scored a ] in the first quarter to tie the game 7-7, but 4th-ranked Cal was upset 20-14 by 7th-ranked ]. | |||
| An ]n ] as a junior at the ] (1948), Jensen scored a ] in the team's 20-14 loss to ] in the ] ]. He was also an All-American ], helping California win the inaugural ] in ], defeating a ] team featuring future ] ] in the final. | |||
| In 1949 Jensen, who batted and threw right-handed, left college after his junior year and signed with the ] in the ]. His contract – along with ]'s – was sold to the ] in ] with the intention of him being a backup for ]. But he played in only 108 games for the Yankees over three years, primarily in ]. He appeared as a pinch runner for ] in the eighth inning of Game 3 of the ] against the ], but was in the game only briefly before ] popped up to end the inning. Jensen did not stay in the game defensively, and the Yankees completed a sweep of the Phillies in Game 4; he did not appear in the 1951 Series against the ]. In ], ] became the only other person to play in both the Rose Bowl and World Series. | |||
| In 1950 Jensen left college after his junior year to play in the majors with the Yankees as a backup for ]. He was sent to the Senators during the 1952 season, and was traded to the Red Sox in 1954. | |||
| Following the arrival of ] with the Yankees, in May 1952 Jensen was sent to the ] in a six-player deal, and he made his first ] team. He finished the season with a .286 ] and 80 RBI, leading the league with 17 assists and placing third in the AL with 18 steals, a total he duplicated in 1953. He was traded to the Red Sox in December 1953, and led the AL with 22 steals in ], also finishing third in RBI (117) and fourth in home runs (25). But despite his speed he also set a major league record by grounding into double plays 32 times, breaking ]'s ] total of 31; the record would stand until ] grounded into 36 double plays in ]. No longer facing the pressure of becoming his team's principal star, Jensen again made the All-Star team in ], leading the league with 116 RBI and finishing tenth in the MVP vote. In ] he batted a career-high .315 and led the AL with 11 triples, and in ] he had 103 RBI and led the league in both assists (16) and double plays (4). | |||
| Making the AL ] squad three times and winning a ] in right field, Jensen earned ] honors in ] when he ] .286 with 35 ]s and a league-leading 116 ]. He also led the league in RBI in 1955 (116) and 1959 (112); in ] in 1956 (11), and in ]s in 1954 (22). | |||
| Jensen made his last All-Star team in 1958 when he batted .286 with a league-leading 122 RBI, also placing second in the AL with 99 ] and fifth in HRs (35), ] (31), ] (293) and ] (.396). He won MVP honors, beating out ], ] and ] for the award. In ] he again led the league in RBI (112) and won his only Gold Glove after leading the AL in double plays (4) for the second time; he also scored a career-best 101 ] and stole 20 bases, and came in tenth in the MVP balloting. | |||
| ⚫ | Jensen announced his retirement from baseball in 1960, primarily because of an intense |
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| ⚫ | Jensen announced his retirement from baseball in January 1960, primarily because of an intense fear of flying but also due to the long separations from his family. He stated, "I have only one life to live, and I'll be happier when I can spend it with my family. Being away from home with a baseball team for seven months a year doesn't represent the kind of life I want or the kind of life my wife and children want." As teams had increasingly turned to air travel in the 1950s, he had unsuccessfully sought to combat this aversion, aided considerably by Red Sox owner ], who arranged for therapy treatments. Indeed, upon joining the Red Sox in 1953 he considered not reporting to the team in order to return to his family in California, but general manager ] increased his salary by $1,000 and he agreed to play. Once baseball expanded to the ] in 1958, and with further league expansion and constant air travel foreseen, these difficulties became virtually insurmountable. Jensen returned to play in ], but turned to ] when his panic attacks at airports became unbearable. Frustrated by a sub-par season (.263, 66 RBI), he retired again for good. | ||
| In an 11-season career, Jensen was a .279 hitter with 199 home runs and 929 RBI in 1438 ]. He also collected 810 ], 1463 ],259 ], 45 triples, 143 stolen bases, and a .369 ]. A disciplined hitter, he posted a solid 1.374 ] (750-to-546). | |||
| Following his retirement, Jensen |
In an 11-season career, Jensen was a .279 hitter with 199 home runs and 929 RBI in 1438 ]. He also collected 810 runs, 1463 ], 259 doubles, 45 triples, 143 stolen bases, and 750 walks for a .369 on base percentage. Following his retirement, Jensen became sports director at a ] radio station, worked as a college football broadcaster, coached baseball at the ] and at California, and also ] in the ]. In 1949 he married his high school girlfriend ], the silver medalist in diving at the ]; the couple divorced in 1968. | ||
| Jensen died in ] at age |
Jensen died of a heart attck in ] at age 55. He was inducted into the ] in ], and was selected to the ] in ]. | ||
| ==Highlights== | |||
| * 3-time All-Star (1952, 1955, 1958) | |||
| * MVP (1958) | |||
| * Twice top 10 MVP (1955, 1959) | |||
| * Gold Glove (1959) | |||
| * 3-time led league in RBI (1955, 1958-59) | |||
| * Led league in stolen bases (1954) | |||
| * Led league in triples (1956) | |||
| * 5-time Top Five in ] (1954-55, 1957-59) | |||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
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| *{{baseball-reference|id=j/jenseja01}} | *{{baseball-reference|id=j/jenseja01}} | ||
| * | * | ||
| * | |||
| ==References== | |||
| *''Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia'' (2000). Kingston, NY: Total/Sports Illustrated. ISBN 1-892129-34-5. | |||
| *''ESPN College Football Encyclopedia'' (2005). New York, NY: ESPN Books. ISBN 1-4013-3703-1. | |||
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Revision as of 22:36, 21 July 2006
Jack Eugene Jensen (March 9 1927 – July 14 1982) was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for three American League teams from 1950 to 1961, most notably the Boston Red Sox. He was named the AL's Most Valuable Player in 1958 after hitting 35 home runs and leading the league with 122 runs batted in; he also led the league in RBI two other years, and in triples and stolen bases once each. Respected for his throwing arm, he won a Gold Glove Award and led the AL in assists and double plays twice each. He retired in his early 30s as baseball expanded westward, due to an intense fear of flying. After being a two-sport star in college, Jensen was the first person to play in both the Rose Bowl and the World Series.
Career
Jensen was born in San Francisco, California. His parents divorced when he was five, and he was raised by his mother who moved the family regularly. After serving in the Navy toward the end of World War II, he became an All-American in two sports at the University of California. As a baseball pitcher and outfielder, he helped California to win the inaugural College World Series in 1947. He pitched Cal to victory in the regional final by outdueling Bobby Layne of Texas, and in the championship Cal defeated a Yale team featuring future President George Bush. As a football halfback, Jensen was a consensus All-American as a junior in 1948, becoming the first Cal player to rush for 1,000 yards. In the season-ending 7-6 victory over Stanford he ran for 170 yards, kicked a punt for 67 yards, and had a 32-yard run late in the game in a 4th-and-31 situation. Cal ended the regular season at 10-0 under coach Pappy Waldorf, winning a share of its first Pacific Coast Conference title in ten years, and Jensen placed fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting, with Doak Walker taking the award. In the 1949 Rose Bowl, Jensen scored a touchdown in the first quarter to tie the game 7-7, but 4th-ranked Cal was upset 20-14 by 7th-ranked Northwestern.
In 1949 Jensen, who batted and threw right-handed, left college after his junior year and signed with the Oakland Oaks in the Pacific Coast League. His contract – along with Billy Martin's – was sold to the New York Yankees in 1950 with the intention of him being a backup for Joe DiMaggio. But he played in only 108 games for the Yankees over three years, primarily in left field. He appeared as a pinch runner for Bobby Brown in the eighth inning of Game 3 of the 1950 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, but was in the game only briefly before Johnny Mize popped up to end the inning. Jensen did not stay in the game defensively, and the Yankees completed a sweep of the Phillies in Game 4; he did not appear in the 1951 Series against the New York Giants. In 1959, Chuck Essegian became the only other person to play in both the Rose Bowl and World Series.
Following the arrival of Mickey Mantle with the Yankees, in May 1952 Jensen was sent to the Washington Senators in a six-player deal, and he made his first All-Star team. He finished the season with a .286 batting average and 80 RBI, leading the league with 17 assists and placing third in the AL with 18 steals, a total he duplicated in 1953. He was traded to the Red Sox in December 1953, and led the AL with 22 steals in 1954, also finishing third in RBI (117) and fourth in home runs (25). But despite his speed he also set a major league record by grounding into double plays 32 times, breaking Bobby Doerr's 1949 total of 31; the record would stand until Jim Rice grounded into 36 double plays in 1984. No longer facing the pressure of becoming his team's principal star, Jensen again made the All-Star team in 1955, leading the league with 116 RBI and finishing tenth in the MVP vote. In 1956 he batted a career-high .315 and led the AL with 11 triples, and in 1957 he had 103 RBI and led the league in both assists (16) and double plays (4).
Jensen made his last All-Star team in 1958 when he batted .286 with a league-leading 122 RBI, also placing second in the AL with 99 walks and fifth in HRs (35), doubles (31), total bases (293) and on base percentage (.396). He won MVP honors, beating out Bob Turley, Rocky Colavito and Bob Cerv for the award. In 1959 he again led the league in RBI (112) and won his only Gold Glove after leading the AL in double plays (4) for the second time; he also scored a career-best 101 runs and stole 20 bases, and came in tenth in the MVP balloting.
Jensen announced his retirement from baseball in January 1960, primarily because of an intense fear of flying but also due to the long separations from his family. He stated, "I have only one life to live, and I'll be happier when I can spend it with my family. Being away from home with a baseball team for seven months a year doesn't represent the kind of life I want or the kind of life my wife and children want." As teams had increasingly turned to air travel in the 1950s, he had unsuccessfully sought to combat this aversion, aided considerably by Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey, who arranged for therapy treatments. Indeed, upon joining the Red Sox in 1953 he considered not reporting to the team in order to return to his family in California, but general manager Joe Cronin increased his salary by $1,000 and he agreed to play. Once baseball expanded to the West Coast in 1958, and with further league expansion and constant air travel foreseen, these difficulties became virtually insurmountable. Jensen returned to play in 1961, but turned to hypnotherapy when his panic attacks at airports became unbearable. Frustrated by a sub-par season (.263, 66 RBI), he retired again for good.
In an 11-season career, Jensen was a .279 hitter with 199 home runs and 929 RBI in 1438 games. He also collected 810 runs, 1463 hits, 259 doubles, 45 triples, 143 stolen bases, and 750 walks for a .369 on base percentage. Following his retirement, Jensen became sports director at a Reno, Nevada radio station, worked as a college football broadcaster, coached baseball at the University of Nevada and at California, and also managed in the minor leagues. In 1949 he married his high school girlfriend Zoe Ann Olsen, the silver medalist in diving at the 1948 Summer Olympics; the couple divorced in 1968.
Jensen died of a heart attck in Charlottesville, Virginia at age 55. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1984, and was selected to the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2000.
See also
External links
- Career statistics from Baseball Reference
- BaseballLibrary
- College Football Hall of Fame
References
- Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia (2000). Kingston, NY: Total/Sports Illustrated. ISBN 1-892129-34-5.
- ESPN College Football Encyclopedia (2005). New York, NY: ESPN Books. ISBN 1-4013-3703-1.
| Preceded byMickey Mantle | American League Most Valuable Player 1958 |
Succeeded byNellie Fox |
- Major league right fielders
- Boston Red Sox players
- New York Yankees players
- Washington Senators players
- 1952 American League All-Stars
- 1955 American League All-Stars
- 1958 American League All-Stars
- Gold Glove Award winners
- Major league players from California
- American football running backs
- Cal Bears football players
- San Franciscans
- 1927 births
- 1982 deaths