Jack Franklin

James Wilford Franklin

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11½", Weight 170 lb.
• School University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Debut June 12, 1944
• Final Game June 12, 1944
• Born October 20, 1919 in Paris, IL USA
• Died November 15, 1991 in Panama City, FL USA

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Biographical Information

Illinois native Jack Franklin spent four active seasons in professional baseball from 1941 to 1945. He made his big league debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on June 12, 1944, appearing in two innings with no decision; this would be the limits of his Major League time.

Franklin spent 1941 with the Dayton Ducks of the class C Middle Atlantic League, winning 14 and losing 12. He returned to the same ball park for the following season and won 12 while losing 9 in 1942.

Franklin spent all of the 1943 year in the United States Army during World War II. He returned to the game in 1944 in time to go 2-0 for the New Orleans Pelicans of the Southern Association, before his trip to Ebbets Field with the 1944 Dodgers. Jack finished out the 1944 year with the Montreal Royals of the International League, appearing in six games with no decisions.

Jack was with the New Orleans club again in 1945, his final look at pro ball, and went 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA while pitching 22 innings. This gave him a minor league career record of 29-21 while pitching 421 innings in 79 games.

Franklin became a supervisor for the Beaman Corporation in Paris, IL, before retiring to Florida in 1986. Jack died on November 15, 1991 at a hospital in Panama City, FL. He was 72 years of age.