View source for Chief Wilson

{{Short description|American baseball player (1883–1954)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Chief Wilson
|image=1912 Chief Wilson.jpeg
|caption=Wilson in 1912
|position=[[Outfielder]]
|birth_date={{birth date|1883|8|21}}
|birth_place=[[Austin, Texas]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|1954|2|22|1883|8|21}}
|death_place=[[Bertram, Texas]], U.S.
|bats=Left
|throws=Right
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=April 15
|debutyear=1908
|debutteam=Pittsburgh Pirates
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=October 1
|finalyear=1916
|finalteam=St. Louis Cardinals
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.269
|stat2label=[[Triple (baseball)|Triples]]
|stat2value=114
|stat3label=[[Home run]]s
|stat3value=59
|stat4label=[[Run batted in|Runs batted in]]
|stat4value=571
|teams=
*[[Pittsburgh Pirates]] ({{baseball year|1908}}–{{baseball year|1913}})
*[[St. Louis Cardinals]] ({{baseball year|1914}}–{{baseball year|1916}})
|highlights=
*[[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1909}})
*[[List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders|NL RBI leader]] (1911)
'''MLB record'''
* 36 triples, single season (1912)
}}
'''John Owen "Chief" Wilson''' (August 21, 1883 – February 22, 1954) was an American professional [[baseball]] [[right fielder]]. He played in [[Major League Baseball]] from 1908 to 1916 for the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] and [[St. Louis Cardinals]].

Wilson played [[minor league baseball]] for three teams until the end of 1907, when he signed with the Pirates. After spending six seasons with the organization, he was traded to the Cardinals, where he spent the last three seasons of his major league career. Wilson is best known for setting the single-season record for [[Triple (baseball)|triples]] in {{mlby|1912}} with 36, a record that still stands.

==Early life==
Wilson was born on August 21, 1883, in [[Austin, Texas]].<ref name=BR>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wilsoch01.shtml|title=Chief Wilson Statistics and History|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=October 22, 2012}}</ref> He grew up at a ranch owned by his family located approximately 50 miles north of Austin in [[Bertram, Texas|Bertram]].<ref name=sabr>{{cite web|url=http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/ed5711f8|title=Chief Wilson|first=Mark|last=Armour|work=The Baseball Biography Project|publisher=Society for American Baseball Research|access-date=October 22, 2012}}</ref> Wilson started his baseball career playing on several teams in [[Independent league baseball|independent leagues]], before joining the [[Austin Senators]] in 1905.<ref name=sabr/><ref name=BRm>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=wilson016joh|title=Chief Wilson Minor League Statistics and History|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=October 22, 2012}}</ref> He was known for his [[introvert]]ed nature; his Pirates teammate and roommate [[Bobby Byrne (baseball)|Bobby Byrne]] recounted how Wilson "wouldn't say two words all day."<ref name=sabr/>

Contrary to popular belief, Wilson was not of [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] descent.<ref name=encyclopedia/> He was nicknamed "Chief" because his Pittsburgh teammates and manager [[Fred Clarke]] thought Wilson, a native Texan who stood {{convert|6|ft|2|in}},<ref name=pleasure>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1996/12/18/chief-a-pirate-who-tripled-his-pleasure/|title='Chief' A Pirate Who Tripled His Pleasure|last=Holtzman|first=Jerome|date=December 18, 1996|newspaper=The Chicago Tribune|access-date=October 24, 2012}}</ref> resembled a "Chief of the [[Texas Ranger Division|Texas Rangers]]."<ref name=sabr/>

==Professional baseball career==

===Minor leagues===
In {{baseball year|1905}}, Wilson signed with the [[Austin Senators]], a [[minor league baseball]] team in the [[Texas League]].<ref name=BRm/>  However, the team disbanded in the middle of the season on June 6, and Wilson joined the [[Fort Worth Cats (Texas League)|Fort Worth Panthers]], playing for them until he was promoted to the [[Des Moines Champs]] of the [[Western League (1900–1958)|Western League]] in {{baseball year|1907}}. He performed well, posting a [[Batting average (baseball)|batting average]] of .323 in 56 games.<ref name=sabr/><ref name=BRm/>  It was during his first (and only) season with the Champs that Wilson was spotted by Denver Grizzlies pitcher [[Babe Adams]], who had signed with the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] at the end of 1907. Adams informed Pirates owner [[Barney Dreyfuss]] of Wilson's "tremendous arm" and his ability "not only as a hitter but as a fielder."<ref name=sabr/>  This prompted Dreyfuss to sign Wilson to the Pirates as their [[right fielder]].<ref name=sabr/>

===Pittsburgh Pirates (1908–1913)===
[[File:1912 T207 Chief Wilson.jpg|thumb|upright|A 1912 T207 baseball card depicting Wilson]]
Wilson made his major league debut for the Pirates on April 15, 1908, at the age of 24,<ref name=BR/> in a 3–1 [[Opening Day]] win against the [[St. Louis Cardinals]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/PIT/1908-schedule-scores.shtml|title=1908 Pittsburgh Pirates Schedule, Box Scores and Splits|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=October 22, 2012}}</ref> During his {{mlby|1908}} rookie season, Wilson had a relatively disappointing year,<ref name=sabr/><ref name=encyclopedia>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1VwOLIVOWvwC&q=chief+wilson&pg=PA336|title=Pittsburgh Pirates Encyclopedia|publisher=Sports Publishing LLC|date=April 1, 2003|last1=Finoli|first1=David|last2=Rainer|first2=Bill|pages=336|isbn=9781582614168|access-date=October 22, 2012}}</ref> batting .227, [[Slugging percentage|slugging]] .285 and finishing sixth in the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] (NL) in [[strikeout]]s with 66. Out of his 120 [[Hit (baseball)|hits]] that season, only 18 were [[extra base hit]]s.<ref name=BR/><ref name=sabr/>  As a result of his offensive woes, Pirates fans booed him on a constant basis.<ref name=sabr/>  Wilson greatly improved his batting in [[1909 Major League Baseball season|the following season]], raising his batting average to .272, playing all 154 games of the season and finishing fifth in the NL in [[Triple (baseball)|triples]] with 12.<ref name=BR/>  This success culminated in the Pirates winning the [[1909 World Series|World Series]] at the conclusion of that season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1909_WS.shtml|title=1909 World Series (4-3): Pittsburgh Pirates (110-42) over Detroit Tigers (98-54)|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=October 23, 2012}}</ref>  In the Opening Day game of the {{mlby|1910}} season, Wilson got injured and had to sit out for seven games, with [[Vin Campbell]] taking his place in the lineup.<ref>{{cite news|title=Pirates Scheduled to Open Season Today|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bw1RAAAAIBAJ&pg=1666,248170&dq=chief+wilson&hl=en|date=April 20, 1911|page=9|access-date=October 24, 2012|newspaper=The Gazette Times|location=Pittsburgh}}</ref> On July 3, against the Cincinnati Reds, he hit for the cycle.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.retrosheet.org/cycles.htm |title=Cycles |website=Retrosheet |access-date=2018-06-06}}</ref> He finished the season with similar statistics as the previous year,<ref name=sabr/> batting .276 and hitting 13 triples.<ref name=BR/>

The {{mlby|1911}} season was a breakout year for Wilson. He posted a batting average of .300, finished third in the NL in [[Double (baseball)|doubles]] (34), fifth in [[home run]]s (12) and sixth in slugging (.472) and drove in 107 [[Run batted in|runs batted in]] (RBI), thus becoming the [[List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders|league's RBI champion]].<ref name=BR/>  The 12 home runs he hit that season marked a Pirates team record he held until {{mlby|1925}}.<ref name=sabr/>

In {{mlby|1912}}, Wilson recorded the same batting average as the year before and finished second in the league in slugging (.513) and games played (152), third in home runs (11), fourth in RBI (95) and seventh in hits (175).<ref name=BR/>  Furthermore, he set the MLB single-season record for triples, hitting 36 in total that year.<ref name=sabr/>  However, his record received almost no press coverage. Baseball sportswriter [[Ernest Lanigan]] suggested that this was because a record book erroneously attributed [[Nap Lajoie]] with having 44 triples in {{mlby|1903}}, when he hit only 11 that year.<ref name=sabr/>  As a result, several newspapers&nbsp;– most notably ''[[The Pittsburgh Press]]''&nbsp;– were under the belief that Lajoie held the record.<ref>{{cite news|title=Chief Wilson Poles His Thirty-Fourth Three-Bagger Of The Season|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=aQIbAAAAIBAJ&pg=4033,1650000&dq=chief+wilson+baseball&hl=en|date=September 8, 1912|first=W.J.|last=O'Connor|page=2 (Sporting section)|access-date=October 28, 2012|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|quote=Only a phenomenal burst of long swats will give the Texan a chance to equal Lajoie's season mark of 44 three-base knocks...the wonderful record once made by Lajoie.}}</ref>

Wilson's record still stands today and is currently the third oldest single-season record, behind Lajoie's .426 batting average in 1901 and [[Jack Chesbro]]'s 41 [[Win–loss record (pitching)|wins]] in 1904.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20D15FA3B5C0C718CDDA90994DC404482|title=Baseball; Swift and Sharp, Suzuki Sets Mark For Hits in Season|last=Egan|first=Timothy|date=October 2, 2004|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=October 23, 2012}}</ref>  It is considered one of baseball's most [[List of Major League Baseball records considered unbreakable|unbreakable records]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Hitters Continuing Pursuit Of Records \ Some Marks Untouchable|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=WO&p_theme=wo&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EADEF6848184D71&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|date=July 17, 1994|first=Bill|last=Ballou|page=D8|access-date=October 24, 2012|newspaper=Telegram & Gazette|location=Worcester}} '''{{subscription required}}'''</ref> as only [[Sam Crawford]] (1914) and [[Kiki Cuyler]] (1925) have come the closest to breaking the record; both players hit 26 triples.<ref>{{cite web|title=Single-Season Leaders & Records for Triples|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/3B_season.shtml|work=Baseball-Reference|access-date=October 24, 2012}}</ref>  Wilson's record also accounted for part of the 129 triples amassed by the Pirates that year, setting a single-season record for most triples by a team since 1900.<ref name=sabr/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/mets-are-good-at-something/|title=Mets Are Good at Something|last=Gustines|first=Elena|date=April 29, 2009|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=October 27, 2012}}</ref>  Due to his stellar and record-breaking performance, Wilson finished eighth in that season's voting for the [[Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award#Chalmers Award .281911.E2.80.931914.29|Chalmers Award]], the precursor to the MLB Most Valuable Player Award.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1912.shtml|title=Baseball Awards Voting for 1912|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=October 27, 2012}}</ref>

===St. Louis Cardinals (1914–1916)===
Wilson finished his career playing three seasons for the Cardinals. He played his last MLB game on October 1, 1916.

==Later life==
After he retired from baseball, Wilson returned to his family ranch in Bertram, where he became a stock farmer and held various positions in service to the community.<ref name=hail>{{cite news|title=Hail to the Chief|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=i88kAAAAIBAJ&pg=2370,3092334&dq=chief+wilson+baseball&hl=en|date=March 28, 2007|page=1A, 4A|access-date=October 22, 2012|newspaper=The Burnet Bulletin}}</ref>  He died on October 24, 1954, at the age of 70 and was interred at Austin Memorial Park.<ref name=BR/><ref name=sabr/>  On March 31, 2007, the Bertram Little League Sports Complex was dedicated to and named after Wilson.<ref name=hail/>

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Baseball}}
* [[List of Major League Baseball career triples leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball single-season triples leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball triples records]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle]]

==References==
===General===
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/feats/feats27.shtml|title=36 Triples by Chief Wilson in a Single Season|work=Baseball-Almanac.com|publisher=Baseball Almanac|access-date=October 28, 2012}}
{{refend}}
===Specific===
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite web |url=http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/ed5711f8 |title=Chief Wilson |first=Mark |last=Armour |website=[[Society for American Baseball Research|SABR]] |access-date=October 22, 2017}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{Baseballstats|mlb=124409 |espn=28130 |br=w/wilsoch01 |fangraphs=1014066 |brm=wilson001chi |retro=W/Pwilsc102}}, or [http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=wilsoch01 Baseball Almanac]
*{{findagrave}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach|ach}}
{{succession box | before = [[Heinie Reitz]] | title = Single-season triples record holder| years = 1912 – present | after = Incumbent}}
{{Succession box| before = [[Otis Clymer]] | title = [[Hitting for the cycle]]| years = July 3, 1910 | after = [[Danny Murphy (second baseman)|Danny Murphy]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{1909 Pittsburgh Pirates}}
{{NL RBI champions}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Chief}}
[[Category:1883 births]]
[[Category:1954 deaths]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball right fielders]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Pirates players]]
[[Category:St. Louis Cardinals players]]
[[Category:National League RBI champions]]
[[Category:Fort Worth Panthers players]]
[[Category:Austin Senators players]]
[[Category:Des Moines Champs players]]
[[Category:San Antonio Bronchos players]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Austin, Texas]]
[[Category:People from Bertram, Texas]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Burnet County, Texas]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]