Howie Schultz

Howard Henry Schultz
(Stretch or Steeple)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 6", Weight 200 lb.
• School Hamline University
• High School Central High School (St. Paul)
• Debut August 16, 1943
• Final Game September 8, 1948
• Born July 3, 1922 in St. Paul, MN USA
• Died October 30, 2009 in Chaska, MN USA

BR page

Biographical Information

6' 6" Howie Schultz was one of the first men to play major league baseball and professional basketball in the NBA.

A first baseman, Schultz began his pro baseball career in 1941 with the Grand Forks Chiefs of the Northern League. At the same time, in the off-season he played college basketball for Hamline University. Due to his height, he was ineligible to be drafted, and so he continued his baseball career during World War II. His contract was purchased by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943, and the following season, in 1944, he was the club's regular at first base, hitting .255 with 11 homers. In 1947, the Dodgers installed Jackie Robinson at first, and Schultz was sold to the Philadelphia Phillies early in the season. He ended his pro baseball career with the Cincinnati Reds in 1948.

After his baseball days ended, Schultz played three seasons in the NBA, including two years with the Minneapolis Lakers in which the club won league championships. He died of cancer at age 87.

Related Sites

• Howie Schultz at the SABR Bio Project
• Basketball-Reference page
• Howie Schultz, 87, Former Brooklyn Dodger