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Adolph Matulis

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Adolph Matulis
Matulis, c. 1942
CollegeUniversity of Arizona
ConferenceBorder Conference
SportBaseball, Basketball, Football
Position
Career1940–1941
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight183 lb (83 kg)
NationalityAmerican
Born(1920-08-03)August 3, 1920
East Chicago, Indiana
DiedMay 25, 2002(2002-05-25) (aged 81)

Adolph John Matulis[a] (August 3, 1920 – May 25, 2002)[3] was an American college athlete at the University of Arizona who earned varsity letters in baseball, basketball, and football. He went on to a minor league baseball career as a pitcher and player-manager.

College athletics

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Matulis earned varsity letters for the Arizona Wildcats football team in 1940 and 1941;[4] the 1941 Wildcats were champions of the Border Conference. He joined the team as a freshman in 1940 and was originally a fullback.[5][6] He later played quarterback for the team.[7] He also played baseball and basketball for the school, lettering on each of those teams in 1941.[8][9]

Professional baseball

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Adolph Matulis
Pitcher / Manager
Born: (1920-08-03)August 3, 1920
East Chicago, Indiana
Died: May 25, 2002(2002-05-25) (aged 81)
Batted: Right
Threw: Right

Listed at 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) and 183 pounds (83 kg), Matulis threw and batted right-handed.[1]

Playing career

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Matulis pitched in the Chicago Cubs system in 1942 and from 1946 to 1952.[1] With the Class-B Madison Blues of the Three-I League in 1942, he had a 9–13 win–loss record with a 4.39 earned run average (ERA) in 37 games.[1] He tied for second in the league in losses and was third in games started. As a hitter, he batted .200 (13-for-65).[1]

After serving in the military, Matulis returned to professional baseball in 1946, playing for the Class-A Macon Peaches of the South Atlantic League (SAL).[1] He went 17–15 with a 3.39 ERA on the mound and contributed a .206 batting average.[1] That year, he led the SAL in losses, appearances, hits allowed and earned runs allowed. Matulis pitched for the Double-A Nashville Volunteers of the Southern Association in 1947, going 8–9 with a 5.18 ERA in 38 appearances.[1] He also had a .167 batting average.[1] In 1948, he hit .358 (76-for-212) with four home runs and a .514 slugging percentage for the Class-D Elizabethton Betsy Cubs of the Appalachian League.[1] He also went 1–4 with a 4.50 ERA in 22 appearances on the mound.[1]

Matulis played for the Class-C Clinton Steers of the Central Association and the Class-D Janesville Cubs of the Wisconsin State League in 1949.[1] He hit a combined .256 in 71 games, and had a 3–2 record pitching with Janesville, with a 2.45 ERA in 16 games.[1] He spent all of the 1950 and 1951 seasons with Janesville, with pitching records of 12–6 and 4–4, and batting averages of .300 and .305, respectively.[1] In 1950, He led the Wisconsin State League in ERA (1.84). In 1952, Matulis' final season, he played for the Class-C Topeka Owls of the Western Association, where he was 9–2 with a 5.07 ERA in 15 appearances as a pitcher.[1] At the plate, he hit .295 with two home runs.[1]

Overall, Matulis played eight years in the minor leagues, going 63–55 with a 3.86 ERA in 214 pitching appearances.[1] In 1,078 innings pitched, he allowed 1,125 hits and 461 walks.[1] As a batter, he hit .282 with 13 home runs in 1,007 at bats.[1]

Managerial career

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Matulis was a player-manager for part of five seasons.[1] His first season managing was 1948, when he led Elizabethton to a 64–61 fifth-place finish.[10] In 1949, he was one of three managers for Janesville, and one of two managers for Clinton.[1] In 1950, he led Janesville to a 70–54 third-place finish and a berth in the playoffs, where the team lost in the final round. He managed Janesville to a 56–64 seventh-place finish in 1951. In 1952, he managed Topeka to a 63–76 record.[1]

Personal life

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Matulis was born in 1920 in East Chicago, Indiana.[11] He did not play in professional baseball from 1943 to 1945, due to World War II. He enlisted in the United States Army as a private on October 22, 1942.[12] He served as a corporal for the 12th Armored Division, where he continued to play baseball as well as basketball.[13] After his sports career, he worked for and retired from a brewery.[2] Matulis was inducted to the East Chicago Athletic Hall of Fame.[2] He died in May 2002, aged 81; a widower, he was survived by a daughter.[2][14]

Notes

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  1. ^ Matulis' nicknames included A.J., Matt, and Pops.[1][2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v "A.J. Matulis". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d NWITimes obituary
  3. ^ Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011
  4. ^ "Arizona Football 2016 Media Guide" (PDF). University of Arizona. 2016. p. 73. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 21, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  5. ^ State Spring Drills Start - February 14, 1940, article
  6. ^ Wildcats Tackle New Mexico Team - October 5, 1940, article
  7. ^ List Weekend Border Games - September 29, 1941, article
  8. ^ "Arizona Basketball 2018–19 Media Guide" (PDF). University of Arizona. 2018. p. 80. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  9. ^ "Arizona Baseball 2020 Media Guide" (PDF). University of Arizona. 2020. p. 68. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  10. ^ The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 1993
  11. ^ "Draft Registration Card". Selective Service System. February 1942. Retrieved August 21, 2020 – via fold3.com.
  12. ^ WW2Enlistments.org
  13. ^ Hayes, Frankie (March 16, 1944). "Sports" (PDF). Hellcat News. Vol. 2, no. 6. Camp Barkeley, Texas. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 11, 2013 – via Wayback Machine.
  14. ^ "Adolph J. "Matt" "Pops" Matulis". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Munster, Indiana. May 27, 2002. p. 25. Retrieved August 21, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
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