Ken Burkhart

Kenneth William Burkhart
born Kenneth William Burkhardt
(Burky)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 190 lb.
• High School Central High School (Knoxville)
• Debut April 21, 1945
• Final Game September 25, 1949
• Born November 18, 1916 in Knoxville, TN USA
• Died December 29, 2004 in Knoxville, TN USA

BR page

Biographical Information

“It didn’t make much difference to me whether they spelled it (Burkhart) with or without a ‘d’ as long as they didn’t leave out any of my winning games.” - Ken Burkhardt, to The Sporting News, August 30, 1945

Ken Burkhart was a National League umpire from 1957 to 1973. He served with distinction, working four All-Star Games and three World Series. He was originally a big league pitcher, bursting onto the scene during the last year of wartime, 1945 with an 18-8, 2.90 record, 4 shutouts and 3 saves in 42 games (22 starts) and 217 1/3 innings. After a solid follow up in limited work, his career was curtailed by an arm injury, ending with the Oakland Oaks in 1951. He was then an umpire in the Florida State League in 1952 and the Big State League in 1953. He was sold to the Western League in August 1953, then to the Texas League in July 1954, where he stayed until he got the big league call.

Notable Achievements

• 15 Wins Seasons: 1 (1945)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1945)
• Won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1946 (he did not play in the World Series)

Related Sites

• Ken Burkhart at the SABR Bio Project
• Ken Burkhart on Retrosheet.org
• Sporting News umpire card