John Montgomery Ward

Base-ball: How to Become a Player (Illustrated Edition) (Dodo Press) John Montgomery Ward Illustrated, Ill edition

John Montgomery Ward (1860-1925) was a 19th century Major League Baseball star pitcher, shortstop and manager. At 13 years of age, he was sent to Penn State University. In his short time there, he helped jump start a baseball program and is often credited for developing the first curve ball. As a 19 year old pitcher, he won 47 games and led the 1879 Providence Grays to a first place finish. In 1880, he began to play other positions and also expanded his leadership role to include managing then became a player-manager for 32 games, winning 18 of them. He graduated from Columbia Law School in 1885. Together with the other players, he formed the first baseball players union, The Brotherhood of Professional Baseball Players. He also successfully challenged the player reserve clause, leading the formation of a new baseball league, the Players League. He retired from baseball at age 34 in order to enter the legal profession. As a successful lawyer he represented baseball players against the National League. In the last quarter century of his life, Ward's real sporting passion became golf.