Earle Combs

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

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 and for the Lexington Reds, then signed with the Louisville Colonels. In his rookie season (1924), Combs played center field and hit .400 before breaking an ankle sliding into home plate at Cleveland's League Park on June 15. He led the league in triples three times. 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.

In Their Own Story

The sun beat down on Sportsman's Park in St. Louis in July 1934, the temperature over 100 degrees. Earle Combs sprinted toward the outfield wall, eyes locked on a fly ball. He crashed hard into the wall, going down in a heap. The result was a fractured skull, a broken shoulder, and a damaged knee. He was reportedly near death for several days and spent more than two months in the hospital. The next season, he attempted a comeback but suffered another serious injury. Knowing the Yankees were set to bring up a rookie center fielder named Joe DiMaggio, Combs decided to retire at age 36. After his playing days, he stayed in the game as a coach for almost two decades, starting by instructing his replacement, DiMaggio, on the nuances of Yankee Stadium's outfield.

Reader's Guide

Combs was selected for induction into the Hall of Fame in 1970 by the Veterans Committee. He coached for the Yankees through 1944, for the St. Louis Browns in 1947, for the Boston Red Sox (1948–1952), and for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1954. After retiring from baseball in 1954, he returned to his 400-acre farm in Madison County. He served as the Kentucky state banking commissioner during Governor A. B. 'Happy' Chandler's second administration (1955–1959), and on Eastern's Board of Regents (1959–1975). In November 1962, he laid the foundation stone for Earle B. Combs Hall, a dormitory at Eastern. In June 1970, the Little League field at Irvine-McDowell Park in Richmond was named in his honor. In 2006, he was inducted as a charter member of Eastern's Athletics Hall of Fame.

Did You Know?

• Combs led the league in triples three times and set the Yankees' team record for most triples in a season (23 in 1927).
• He suffered a fractured skull, a broken shoulder and a damaged knee after crashing into an outfield wall in July 1934.
• Combs and his wife Ruth had three sons: Earle Jr, Charles and Donald.
• He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1970 and said, 'I thought the Hall of Fame was for superstars, not just average players like me.'