Hoyt Wilhelm - High School (Cornelius High and American Legion baseball)

Photos: from collection

Hoyt Wilhelm (standing, with jacket, far right in both photos), with Cornelius High School teammates at the school in 1939. 

--Cornelius High School merged with neighboring Huntersville High School, Davidson High School, Long Creek High School and Derita High School to form North Mecklenburg High School in 1951. 

-- Cornelius High School's building is still standing and is Cornelius Elementary School today.

 

Photo: from collection

Hoyt Wilhelm at Cornelius High School in 1941. 

--Cornelius High School merged with neighboring Huntersville High School, Davidson High School, Long Creek High School and Derita High School to form North Mecklenburg High School in 1951. 

-- Cornelius High School's building is still standing and is Cornelius Elementary School today.

Clipping of Hoyt Wilhelm's no-hitter for Cornelius (The Charlotte Observer, April 12, 1941)

Cornelius High School Highlights:

*April 14, 1940: Hoyt Wilhelm struck out 11 in the first game of the season to lead Cornelius to a 9-6 victory against rival Long Creek High. He also had four hits (all singles).

*April 11, 1941: Hoyt Wilhelm throws a no-hitter at Long Creek High in a 14-0 victory.

*April 17, 1941: Hoyt Wilhelm pitches Cornelius High to a 13-4 victory against Davidson College’s freshman team.

*April 29, 1941: Hoyt Wilhelm pitched a 2-hitter and hit 2 HRs in a 9-2 victory against Derita High for the Northern Mecklenburg County title and the right to play for the county championship.

Photo: from collection

Hoyt Wilhelm with Davidson/North Mecklenburg American Legion Post 86 teammates in 1939 at Davidson College's Richardson Field, where they played their home games.

Photos: Davidson College's Richardson Field, where Hoyt Wilhelm played home games for Davidson/North Mecklenburg American Legion Post 86.

June 23, 1939, box score from Davidson/North Mecklenburg American Legion Post 86 in a loss against Gastonia. Wilhelm pitched in relief and didn't earn a decision. 

 1941 Cornelius High School Senior Class (photo from collection)

Hoyt Wilhelm (back row, fifth from right, with head nearly centered in the window of the door). There are 41 senior classmates in this photo. Cornelius High School was a small, rural school surrounded by a farming community. 

 1941 Cornelius High School Senior Class (The Charlotte Observer, May 4, 1941)

Hoyt Wilhelm (back row, far right). There are 36 senior classmates in this photo. Cornelius High School was a small, rural school surrounded by a farming community.

Hoyt Wilhelm's Career - Briefly

Photo credit: Collection

In 1939, Hoyt Wilhelm began playing baseball at Cornelius (NC) High School, where he learned to throw his famous knuckleball after reading about four knuckleballers on the Washington Senators pitching staff and seeing a picture of pitcher Dutch Leonard's grip (Wilhelm threw a no-hitter at Cornelius High and also had a two-homer game in 1941 during his senior year).

Photo credit: Collection

During his summers in high school (1939-1941), Wilhelm played for the Davidson (NC) American Legion Post 86 baseball team.

Photo credit: Collection

He broke into professional baseball by signing with the Mooresville (NC) Moors on May 6, 1941 (Kannapolis Daily Independent, May 7, 1941), but was released three weeks later (Kannapolis Daily Independent, May 28, 1941). He signed and played  his first game for the Moors in 1942.

Photo credit: The Charlotte Observer

He served in the army during World War II from 1943-1945, fighting in the Battle of the Bulge and earning a Purple Heart from injuries sustained in battle. He played baseball for the 395th Infantry Division of the 99th Infantry in 1943 (Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi) and 1944 (Camp Maxey, Texas).

Photo credit: Collection

After six more years in the minors (with the Mooresville Moors, Knoxville Smokies, Jacksonville Tars and Minneapolis Millers), he debuted in the majors with the N.Y. Giants in 1952, homering in his first at-bat (never hitting another) and winning his lone World Series in 1954.

Photo credit: Collection

After brief stints with the St. Louis Cardinals and Cleveland Indians, Wilhelm threw a no-hitter for the Baltimore Orioles against the eventual World Series champion N.Y. Yankees in 1958.

Photo credit: Collection

After joining the Chicago White Sox, he pitched in his 907th game to break Cy Young's record for games pitched.

Photo credit: Collection
After the White Sox left Wilhelm unprotected in the 1968 expansion draft, the Kansas City Royals drafted him. Before playing for Kansas City, the Royals traded him to the California Angels (where he played in 1969) before being traded to the Atlanta Braves (where he pitched in his record 1,000th major league game - seen in photo above, May 10, 1970).

Photo credit: Collection

After playing for the California Angels, Atlanta Braves (twice), and Chicago Cubs, Wilhelm's playing days ended in 1972 when the Los Angeles Dodgers released him five days before his 50th birthday.

Photo credit: Brett Honeycutt

He retired from baseball in 1995 after 22 years as a minor league coach, 20 of those as a pitching coach in the N.Y. Yankees farm system. 

Photo credit: Collection

In 1985 he was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and became the first relief pitcher to be inducted.