Who was Jack Clifton?

WHO WAS JACK CLIFTON?

In June of 1951, the Alabama-Florida League weathered
a crisis which nearly destroyed the league. Ottis Johnson, a promising
outfielder with Dothan was killed by a pitch thrown by Headland
pitcher Harry « Jack » Clifton (see Death
in the AFL for this story). Clifton was a dominant pitcher
that season, winning 22 games and striking out 245 batters in
236 innings. Clifton could hit too. He batted .304 in 61 games,
playing outfield on occasion. The story behind the beaning is
interesting enough, but there is another story here: Exactly who
was Harry « Jack » Clifton? Normally, there isn’t any
reason to question a player’s identity, since very little is known
about Clifton, there were some doubts among baseball researchers
about where he came from. One reason researchers have wondered
who Jack Clifton was is that the Minor League Baseball Encyclopedia
and Baseball Guide and Record Book identifies the Headland pitcher
as Harry Clifton, while newspapers identify him as Jack Clifton.
To add to the confusion, there was a Harry, a Jack, and a Henry
all playing at the during the same time as the 1951 Headland pitcher.
The question about Clifton’s identity was posed to me recently
by Dave Chase, Dave Nemec, and Ray Nemec. Ray had researched the
identity of Clifton, and came up with the notion that Harry « Jack »
Clifton was in fact Jack R. Clifton, not Harry Clifton. Using
Pat Doyle’s Old Time Database, here are the general records for
the three Cliftons:

Jack Clifton  W L  ERA  AVG  Harry Clifton  W   L ERA  AVG  Henry Clifton  W  L   ERA AVG 
1941 Centerville   1  2  **  ** 1940 Goldsboro  **  **  **  .234 1946 Manchester   **  **  **  .329
1941 Canton  1  1  **  ** 1941 Goldsboro  0  1  **  .359 1947 Jacksonville   **  **  **  .289
1942 Dayton   16 12   2.26  ** 1942 Burlington  5  0  3.20  .311 1950 Dublin  13  7  3.83  .267
1946 Roanoke  20  3  2.63  ** 1942 Richmond   **  **  **  .304 1952 Dublin   2  4  6.95  **
1948 Florence 3  2  5.70  ** 1943 Richmond   **  **  **  .340 1953 Dublin  14  8  5.07  .291
1949 Florence  10  7  3.85  ** 1951 Headland  22  6  **  .304 ** ** ** ** **
1950 Florence   5  7  4.72  ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

Based on the sources I use (Newspapers, The Last Rebel
Yell, by Ken Brooks, Pat Doyle’s Old Time Database, Minor League
Encyclopedia, and the Baseball Guide and Record Book), I believed
that the player is Harry Clifton, not Jack Clifton. With that
said, let me muddy the water a bit because Ray Nemec puts forth
a good arguement: Jack R. Clifton was a relatively successful
pitcher up through 1950, when his record stops. Harry Clifton
pitched on occasion for Goldsboro and Burlington in the Coastal
Plain league in 1940-41, but not with any great regularity or
success. Henry, while not necessarily a contender in the identity
arguement, did pitch in the Georgia State League in 1950 and 1952-53.
The gap in Henry’s career, the location in which he pitched and
his relative success make him a possibility.

Here are the best arguements for each player:

Jack R. Clifton  Good pitching record, including
a 20 win season at Roanoke, newspaper accounts identify player
as Jack Clifton.
Harry Clifton Excellent hitter who also pitched
on occasion. Major publications identify Harry as the player
on the 1951 Headland team.
Henry Clifton Gap in career for 1951, pitched
in Georgia in the 1950’s, relatively successful pitcher, moderate
hitter

Clifton was unusually successful as a pitcher for Headland
in 1951, but of the three, Jack seems to be the best pitcher.
« The Last Rebel Yell » states that Clifton had experience
in « faster » leagues. All three qualify on this issue.
One thing going against Harry is that his pitching record is spotty
(best season being 5-0 in 1942). Jack was a fairly constistent
pitcher, winning 16 games with Dayton in 1942, and 20 with Roanoke
in 1946. The Clifton who played at Headland was an excellent hitter.
I don’t have Jack’s offensive statistics, but Harry was a strong
hitter. In newspapers articles about the beaning, reporters always
use the name, Jack Clifton. This would lead almost anyone to assume
that Jack R., not Harry, was the Headland pitcher. The Minor League
guide and record book, being the final (and often inaccuate) statistical
authority, lists the player as Harry Clifton. Undoubtedly, this
is why sources such as Pat Doyle identifies the player as Harry,
and why I also identify Harry as the pitcher who threw the beanball.
Unfortunately, the official guide is often wrong: For example,
the guide lists Keltys Powell (1947) and John Powell(1948) but
they are the same person. The guide also lists Neal Cobb as playing
for Eufaula in 1952, although he never played for them in his
career. Emory Lindsey and Houston Lindsey are the same person,
although the guide lists both names over the player’s career.
Basically, not every player listing in the official record is
correct. Ray Nemec’s assertation about Jack Clifton sparked my
interest, and until July of 2001, I was unable to find any evidence
that would prove Harry, not Jack, was the Headland pitcher. I’ve
inquired about Clifton to some of the players who played against
him and no one really knows (or remembers) details about his past.
This little mystery has been on my mind for over a year when I
finally had an opportunity to visit Goldsboro, North Carolina,
and dig around for any trace of Harry Clifton’s past.

 The Goldsboro Argus
first mentions Harry Clifton (they too call him Jack Clifton)
in August of 1940 when Clifton made his first appearance as the
Goldsboro Goldbug’s right fielder:

 A few games later, Jack
Clifton made his first pitching appearance in relief.

 This very hard to read
box score from late August, 1940, is the record Clifton’s first
professional start.

 The Goldbugs had a good
pitcher in Clifton, but they had a better hitter. Clifton’s bat
kept him in the outfield.

 In 1941, the Bugs started
the season without Jack Clifton. His teammates on Goldsboro were,
top row (l to r) Cliff Cohn, Sylvester Sturges, Ben McElhaney,
Mack Arnette, Sam Patten. Front row (l to r) are Harry Humphrey,
Sandy Peele, T. R. Vick, and Louis DiGaetano.

 Clifton joined the Goldbugs
in May and quickly became a dominant hitter. Despite his late
start, Clifton quickly gained enough plate appearances to become
the league’s leading hitter. He remained the league’s leading
batter throughout the summer, and was selected to the Coastal
League’s all star game.

 Clifton played all nine
innings in right field for the South all stars.

 
 As August drew to a
close, Clifton was far and away the league’s best hitter.

All of the previous information still didn’t tie the Jack Clifton
who played for Goldsboro to the Jack Clifton who pitched for Headland,
but the following pictures make Clifton’s identity clear: Harry
Clifton, the former Goldboro Goldbug slugger, is the man who delivered
the fatal beanball that killed Ottis Johnson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Jack Clifton in 1941

 Jack Clifton in 1951

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