View source for Johnny Temple

{{Short description|American baseball player (1927–1994)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{for multi|the blues musician|Johnny Temple (blues musician)|the American bassist|Johnny Temple (bassist)}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Johnny Temple
|position=[[Second baseman]]
|image=JohnnyTemplebowman.jpg
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{Birth date|1927|8|8}}
|birth_place=[[Lexington, North Carolina]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|1994|1|9|1927|8|8}}
|death_place=[[Anderson, South Carolina]], U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=April 15
|debutyear=1952
|debutteam=Cincinnati Reds
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=July 8
|finalyear=1964
|finalteam=Cincinnati Reds
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.284
|stat2label=[[Home run]]s
|stat2value=22
|stat3label=[[Runs batted in]]
|stat3value=395
|teams=
* [[Cincinnati Reds]] ({{Baseball year|1952}}–{{Baseball year|1959}})
* [[Cleveland Indians]] ({{Baseball year|1960}}–{{Baseball year|1961}})
* [[Baltimore Orioles]] ({{Baseball year|1962}})
* [[Houston Colt .45s]] ({{Baseball year|1962}}–{{Baseball year|1963}})
* [[Cincinnati Reds]] ({{Baseball year|1964}})
|highlights=
* 6× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1956 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1956]], [[1957 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1957]], [[1959 Major League Baseball All-Star Game (first game)|1959]], [[1959 Major League Baseball All-Star Game (second game)|1959²]], [[1961 Major League Baseball All-Star Game (first game)|1961]], [[1961 Major League Baseball All-Star Game (second game)|1961²]])
* [[Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum|Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame]]
}}
'''John Ellis Temple''' (August 8, 1927 – January 9, 1994) was an American professional [[baseball]] player and [[Coach (baseball)|coach]]. He played in [[Major League Baseball]] as a [[second baseman]] from 1952 to 1964, most prominently as a member of the [[Cincinnati Reds]], where he was the [[leadoff hitter]] and starting second baseman for six seasons.<ref name="bbrefmaj">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/templjo01.shtml|title=Johnny Temple Stats|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=October 8, 2023}}</ref>

A six-time [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] player, Temple had a .300-plus batting average three times with the Reds and was one of the top defensive second basemen of his era.<ref name="Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame at MLB.com">{{cite web |url=https://www.mlb.com/reds/hall-of-fame/alumni/directory#t-content |title=Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame at MLB.com |work=mlb.com |access-date=8 October 2023 }}</ref><ref name="The Baseball Biography Project: Johnny Temple">{{cite web|url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/johnny-temple/|title=The Baseball Biography Project: Johnny Temple|last=Trostler|first=Bob|publisher=Society for American Baseball Research|access-date=October 9, 2023}}</ref> He teamed with shortstop [[Roy McMillan]] to form one of the best [[double-play]] combinations of the 1950s.<ref name="Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame at MLB.com"/>

He also played for the [[Cleveland Indians]], [[Baltimore Orioles]] and the [[Houston Colt .45s]]. Temple was inducted into the [[Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame]] in 1965.<ref name="Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame at MLB.com"/>

==Early baseball career==
Temple was born in [[Lexington, North Carolina]] where he attended Reed High School, now known as [[West Davidson High School]].<ref name="bbrefmaj"/><ref name="The Baseball Biography Project: Johnny Temple"/> When he was 16-years-old, he suffered a broken leg and severe burns on his left leg while escaping a house fire, causing him to wear a protective shin guard over the injuries while participating in sports.<ref name="The Baseball Biography Project: Johnny Temple"/> At Reed High School, he served as captain of the school's baseball and [[basketball]] teams and graduated as the class [[valedictorian]] in 1945.<ref name="The Baseball Biography Project: Johnny Temple"/>

Temple excelled as a high school basketball player and he received an athletic scholarship to play basketball for [[Duke University]] however, as a poor farm boy, he felt out of place at the prestigious university and left the school after two weeks.<ref name="The Baseball Biography Project: Johnny Temple"/> Instead, he decided to enroll at [[Catawba College]] in [[Salisbury, North Carolina]].<ref name="The Baseball Biography Project: Johnny Temple"/> He then joined the United States Navy and served on the aircraft carrier [[USS Randolph (CV-15)|USS Randolph]] toward the end of the Second World War.<ref name="The Baseball Biography Project: Johnny Temple"/> While playing for Navy baseball teams, Temple discovered that he enjoyed playing baseball enough to try to make a professional career out of it.<ref name="The Baseball Biography Project: Johnny Temple"/>

In 1948, Temple signed a contract to play for the Cincinnati Reds after attending a Reds tryout camp in Mooresville, North Carolina. He was assigned to play for the [[Morganton Aggies]] of the [[Western Carolina League]] where he produced a .316 [[Batting average (baseball)|batting average]] in 59 games.<ref name="Johnny Temple minor league statistics">{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=temple001joh |title=Johnny Temple minor league statistics |work=baseball-reference.com |access-date=9 October 2023 }}</ref> In 1949, he hit .400 while playing in 116 games for the [[Ogden Reds]] of the [[Pioneer League (baseball)|Pioneer League]].<ref name="Johnny Temple minor league statistics"/>

By the 1951 season, he had progressed to the top of the [[Minor league baseball|minor league]] ladder with the [[Tulsa Oilers]] where the presence of the superb-fielding shortstop Roy McMillan forced Temple to convert to playing as a second baseman.<ref name="The Baseball Biography Project: Johnny Temple"/><ref name="Johnny Temple minor league statistics"/>

==Major leagues==
Temple made his major league debut with the Reds on April 15, [[1952 Cincinnati Reds season|1952]] at the age of 24. He was a career .284 hitter with 22 [[home run]]s and 395 [[Run batted in|RBI]] in 1420 games. A legitimate leadoff hitter and four-time [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]], he was a very popular player in Cincinnati in the 1950s. He teamed with McMillan from [[1954 Cincinnati Reds season|1954]] through the [[1959 Cincinnati Reds season|1959]] season to become the second longest double play combination in the NL since 1900.(The longest was [[Joe Morgan]] and [[Dave Concepción]] of the Cincinnati Reds in the 1970s.).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/roy-mcmillan/|title=The Baseball Biography Project: Roy McMillan|last=Miller|first=Richard|publisher=Society for American Baseball Research|access-date=October 8, 2023}}</ref> Throughout his career, he [[Base on balls|walked]] more often than he [[Strikeout|struck out]], compiling an outstanding 1.92 [[walk-to-strikeout ratio]] (648-to-338) and a .363 [[on-base percentage]]. Temple also had above-average speed and good instincts on the base paths. Quietly, he had 140 [[Stolen base|steals]] in 198 attempts (71%).

In {{Baseball year|1957}}, Temple and six of his Redleg teammates—[[Ed Bailey]], [[Roy McMillan]], [[Don Hoak]], [[Gus Bell]], [[Wally Post]] and [[Frank Robinson]]—were voted into the [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|National League All-Star]] starting lineup, the result of a [[ballot stuffing]] campaign by Redlegs fans. Bell remained on the team as a reserve, but Post was taken off altogether. Bell and Post were replaced as starters by [[Hank Aaron]] and [[Willie Mays]].

[[File:Johnny Temple - Cincinnati Reds - 1957.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Temple in 1957]]
Temple enjoyed his best year in [[1959 in sports|1959]], with career-highs in batting average (.311), home runs (8), RBI (67), [[Run (baseball statistics)|runs]] (102), [[Hit (baseball statistics)|hits]] (186), [[At bat|at-bats]] (598), [[Double (baseball)|doubles]] (35) and [[Triple (baseball)|triples]] (6). At the end of the season he was sent to Cleveland for [[Billy Martin]], [[Gordy Coleman]] and [[Cal McLish]].<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19591216&id=-X5IAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WmwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3703,2849313 Reds trade Temple for Martin, pair]</ref>

Temple also played with Baltimore and Houston, and again with Cincinnati for his last major season, where he was a part-time [[coach (baseball)|coach]]. In August 1964, he cleaned out his locker after having a fight with fellow coach, [[Reggie Otero]].<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=266&dat=19640821&id=y-wrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bmcFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5288,4469227 Scout, coach have fight]</ref> When [[Fred Hutchinson]] had to leave the Reds due to his health, Cincinnati management decided to go with only two coaches and not reinstate Temple.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19640813&id=9NceAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xGUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7263,2805138 Hutchinson on leave of absence]</ref>

After his baseball career was over, Temple worked as a television newsman in [[Houston, Texas]] and got involved with a business that sold boats and RVs. The business failed causing Temple to lose everything, including his home.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3uSbqUm8hSAC&q=Johnny+Temple+newsman+bill+james&pg=PA517|title= The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|page=517|author=James, Bill|date= 11 May 2010 |isbn= 9781439106938 }}</ref> In 1977, Temple was arrested and charged with larceny of farm equipment.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1734&dat=19771101&id=PXoqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mFEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3896,326116 Johnny Temple is arrested]</ref> Through the efforts of his wife, who wrote a public letter to [[The Sporting News]], Temple got legal assistance. He gave testimony to the South Carolina assembly against his criminal partners.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3uSbqUm8hSAC&q=Johnny+Temple+south+carolina+assembly+bill+james&pg=PA518|title= The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|page=518|author=James, Bill|date= 11 May 2010 |isbn= 9781439106938 }}</ref>

Temple died in [[Anderson, South Carolina]] in 1994 at the age of 66.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1665&dat=19940111&id=4IRPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RSUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3001,2605046 Temple dies at 66]</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Baseballstats|br=t/templjo01 |fangraphs=1012910|brm=temple001joh}}

{{Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Temple, Johnny}}
[[Category:1927 births]]
[[Category:1994 deaths]]
[[Category:American League All-Stars]]
[[Category:Baltimore Orioles players]]
[[Category:Baseball players from North Carolina]]
[[Category:Catawba College alumni]]
[[Category:Cincinnati Reds coaches]]
[[Category:Cincinnati Reds players]]
[[Category:Cincinnati Redlegs players]]
[[Category:Cleveland Indians players]]
[[Category:Columbia Reds players]]
[[Category:Houston Colt .45s players]]
[[Category:Lácteos de Pastora players]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball broadcasters]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball second basemen]]
[[Category:National League All-Stars]]
[[Category:Ogden Reds players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Lexington, North Carolina]]
[[Category:Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players]]
[[Category:Morganton Aggies players]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]