Knox County has been home to many famous people in all walks of life. Some of the most well-known former residents (or residents at local schools) include Paul Newman, Jonathon Winters, Paul Lynde, Josh Radnor, and John “Johnny Appleseed” Chapman.
On the sports side, one luminary and visionary was Bill Veeck. Though Veeck did not graduate, he attended Kenyon College in the early 1930s.
William Louis Veeck Jr., also known as "Sport Shirt Bill," was an American Major League Baseball franchise owner and promoter. Veeck was, at various times, the owner of the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Browns and Chicago White Sox. As owner and team president of the Indians in 1947, Veeck broke the American League color barrier by signing Larry Doby from the Newark Eagles of the Negro Leagues to begin integration of the junior circuit. The following year, Veeck signed Negro League stars Satchel Paige and Al Smith, and the Indians won the World Series in 1948. Veeck followed with signings of Luke Easter, Orestes “Minnie” Minoso and Harry “Suitcase” Simpson in 1949.
It is believed that in 1942-43, he was among those who sought to purchase the Philadelphia Phillies. It is also believed that he planned on remaking the last-place Phillies into a contender by signing a number of Negro League players – four years before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major league baseball. Veeck was rebuffed, but in 1946, Veeck, now owner of the Cleveland Indians, was quoted as saying he would hire Negro League players. “I have absolutely no objections to playing Negro baseball players on the Cleveland Indians." Within a year, he was true to his word.
He was an innovator behind the scenes and was arguably the last owner to purchase a baseball franchise without an independent fortune. It was Veeck, as the owner of the St. Louis Browns, who sent 3-foot-7 Eddie Gaedel to lead off a game as a pinch hitter. And it was Veeck, as owner of the Chicago White Sox, who had a scoreboard constructed that would shoot off fireworks to accompany every ChiSox homer.
He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991. He passed away in 1986 at age 71. Even early on, Veeck was a Pioneer (pre-dates "Lords").
