Fred Corcoran

Fred J. Corcoran
(Mr. Golf)

• Born April 4, 1905 in Cambridge, MA USA
• Died June 23, 1977 in White Plains, NY USA

Biographical Information

Fred Corcoran is best known as one of the early promoters of the game of golf in the United States, but he was also a pioneering player agent in baseball. He earned the nickname "Mr. Golf" for tirelessly promoting the game by organizing tournaments, and by helping to organize the Professional Golfers Association, the Ladies Professional Golf Association, the Golf Writers Association of America and the International Golf Association. He got his start caddying at the Belmont Country Club in Massachusetts, and later became the official scorer for the United States Golf Association.

His first major client as an agent was golfer Sam Snead, whose business affairs and publicity contracts he managed. He arranged special events to have Snead promote the game of golf in the 1930s, including one in which he teed off from home plate at Wrigley Field and took aim at the massive scoreboard in center field, well over 400 feet away. This caught the attention of Babe Ruth, who became one of Corcoran's friends, and he arranged for Ruth to face off against Ty Cobb in a series of golf games held in Boston, New York and Detroit. This was a great success, and Cobb also became a close friend, as Corcoran had a knack for getting along with everyone, including ornery personalities like Cobb.

His talent for managing difficult character came into use when he struck up a business and personal relationship with Ted Williams. It all started when Williams bought a car from a dealership managed by Corcoran's brother John in 1946, and Williams complaining that he had too many demands on his time, preventing him from concentrating on baseball. John introduced Williams to his brother, who offered to become his representative for a 15% cut of appearance fees. The two struck a handshake deal, and things worked out very well. This was at a time when there was no such thing as a player agent in baseball, as there was little leeway for players to negotiate salaries; however, there had been persons with similar roles before, most famously Christy Walsh, who had managed Ruth's financial interests when he was an active player. Corcoran was able to tone down some of Williams' brusqueness, and steered his personal investments in the right directions. He got him to invest in IBM in the 1950s - a very wise move - and also to strike lucrative deals as a consultant for the Wilson Sporting Goods Company, and also with Sears Roebuck for their line of fishing and hunting equipmenr, Williams' two other passions besides baseball. He later represented other baseball players, such as Stan Musial and Tony Conigliaro, and also became a close friend of the enigmatic Moe Berg, who would often crash down at his place when he he had nowhere else to stay.

He is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Further Reading

• Judy Corcoran: Fred Corcoran: The Man Who Sold the World on Golf, Gray Productions LLC, Long Island, NY, 2010. ISBN 9780578049076
• John H. Schwarz: "Fred Corcoran, Mr. Golf's Turn at Bat", in Baseball Research Journal, SABR, Vol. 50, Nr. 1 (Spring 2021), pp. 29-35.