Doc Barrett

Charles Barrett

• Born 1877, in Worcester, MA, USA
• Died July 7, 1954 in New York, NY, USA

Biographical Information

For over half a century, Charles "Doc" Barrett was a trainer, first at Williams College and then at Columbia University. Barrett was involved with many sports, but while at Williams he did double duty as a scout for the New York Highlanders. He also trained the Highlanders from 1910 to 1914, by which time they had officially become known as the Yankees. It's no coincidence that four of the nine Williams Ephmen who made it to the majors appeared during this period, and that three of them – Bill Otis, George Davis, and Tom Burr – played for New York. It's also likely (although direct evidence is lacking) that Barrett signed Larry McClure out of Amherst College for the Highlanders in 1910.

Barrett later scouted for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Athletics. He made at least one notable signing for Philadelphia, infielder "Whispering" Bill Barrett (no relation).

Easily the most famous student-athlete Barrett worked on at Columbia was Lou Gehrig, who played football as well as baseball during his time there (1921-1923).

Related Sites

• Doc Barrett at the SABR Bio Project