Rinty Monahan

Edward Francis Monahan

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Weight 195 lb.
• School Niagara University
• Debut August 9, 1953
• Final Game August 30, 1953
• Born April 28, 1928 in Brooklyn, NY USA
• Died July 27, 2003 in Brooklyn, NY USA

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Biographical Information

Rinty Monahan, who attended Niagara University in the late 40's, is the last player to have come from that university to the majors as of 2010. He was signed as an amateur free agent by the New York Giants before the 1949 season. The right-hander was optioned to the Oshkosh Giants of the Wisconsin State League for his first season in pro ball and manager Dave Garcia immediately hung the nick-name "Rinty" on Monahan, after an Irish flyweight boxer of the same name. "Rinty" would spend his first four seaons in the minors having three double-digit winning seasons. In 1952 "Rinty" had a solid year with the class A Jacksonville Tars of the South Atlantic League, going 17-13 with a 3.01 ERA, while pitching 236 innings. On December 1, 1952 he was drafted by the Philadelphia Athletics from the Giants in the 1952 Rule V Draft.

Monahan was brought to Shibe Park for the 1953 season. He made it into four games out of the Athletics bullpen this season, but his time on the mound was curtailed when he suffered a broken finger when he was hit by a comebacker off the bat of Dave Philley in batting practice. This would be it for "Rinty" in the show. He was 25 at the time. The pitching staff that year also featured 45-year-old Bobo Newsom.

With the bad finger nagging him "Rinty" fell below .500 (9-10) in a split season with the Savannah A's and the Ottawa A's in 1954 and was out of baseball the next two seasons in 1955-1956. He returned in 1957 going 7-10 for the Shreveport Sports of the Texas League and ended his pro baseball career with a six year record of 62-64 and a 3.63 ERA while pitching 1,001 innings.

Monahan went on to earn a degree in business from Niagara University and entered the insurance business in his home town of Brooklyn, NY. He was a chief financial officer for Equitable Life before becoming chairman of the board for the Hamilton Federal Insurance Company. Monahan later retired to his native Brooklyn and passed away there on July 27, 2003 at the age of 75.

See also: Baseball Players of the 1950s