Earle Combs

Lore & Background

Combs led the league in triples three times and was among the top ten in the category in several other seasons. He suffered a fractured skull and other injuries from a crash into an outfield wall in 1934, then retired after another injury the next season. Nicknamed 'the Kentucky Colonel', Combs was known as a gentleman on and off the field. He remained in baseball as a coach for many years after his retirement as a player.

Reader's Guide

Combs was born in Pebworth, Owsley County, Kentucky. He left Pebworth in 1917 to enter Eastern Kentucky State Normal School (now Eastern Kentucky University) in Richmond. He hit .591 at Eastern during his last season. After graduating, he taught in one-room schoolhouses in Ida May and Levi.

He played for High Splint in the Pine Mountain League (summer of 1921) and hit .444, then played semi-pro for the Lexington Reds. In 1922, he drew the attention of the Louisville Colonels of the American Association. He married Ruth McCollum in 1921. With the Colonels, he hit .344 in 1922 and .380 in 1923.

In 1924, the Yankees bought his contract for $50,000. In his rookie season, he hit .400 before breaking an ankle sliding into home plate on June 15. In 1925, manager Miller Huggins made him the Yankees' leadoff hitter. In his best year (1927), he hit .356 with 231 hits, 131 runs scored, 36 doubles and a league-leading 23 triples.

He led the league in triples again in 1928 and 1930. He suffered a serious accident in July 1934: at St. Louis' Sportsman's Park, he crashed into the outfield wall, sustaining a fractured skull, a broken shoulder and a damaged knee. He was near death for several days and hospitalized for more than two months. That injury, coupled with the knowledge that the Yankees were set to bring up Joe DiMaggio the next season, led to his retirement at age 36.

For his career, Combs hit .325 with an on-base average of .397. He was part of three World Series championships (1927, 1928, 1932). After retiring as a player, he coached for the Yankees (1936–1944), St. Louis Browns (1947), Boston Red Sox (1948–1952), and Philadelphia Phillies (1954). He returned to his 400-acre farm in Madison County, served as Kentucky state banking commissioner during Governor A. B. 'Happy' Chandler's second administration (1955–1959), and on Eastern's Board of Regents (1959–1975).

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1970 by the Veterans Committee. He died on July 21, 1976, in Richmond, Kentucky at age 77.