Rooney Sweeney

John J. Sweeney

• Bats Unknown, Throws Unknown
• Height 5' 8", Weight 155 lb.

• Debut July 25, 1883
• Final Game June 9, 1885
• Born November 1, 1858 in New York, NY USA
• Died October 26, 1924 in New York, NY USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Rooney Sweeney played three years in the major leagues, managing to play in three different leagues in those three years. Sporting Life referred to him several times as "famous" or "well-known".

He was already 24 when he joined the Baltimore Orioles of the American Association in 1883. He was the backup catcher, hitting .208. He stayed in Baltimore but changed leagues in 1884, playing for the Baltimore Monumentals of the Union Association. He was again the backup catcher, hitting .226. In 1885, he moved over to the National League, showing up for just 3 games with the St. Louis Maroons.

In 1889, he played for an independent club called the Metropolitans.

In 1890 he was in a Canadian jail. He stated that there was a poker game, a cat upset the chips, and Sweeney grabbed his share "and it got me into jail, that's all". In 1892 he tried managing prizefighters.

Sporting Life reported on September 25, 1897 that Sweeney was on his deathbed. He was assisting the boatmen at Battery Park in New York City when he reportedly had an epileptic fit, fell, and hit his head. In spite of that, in 1899 he was reported to be working as a fireman on a tug boat. In 1908, his job was as an attendant in a bath house, but the trail went cold after that. Researcher Justin McKinney eventually managed to trace him in the 1915 New York City directory, where he was working in another public bath, and in 1920 he was a laundry worker on Blackwell's Island (now called Roosevelt Island, and part of New York City as well). His father, also named John, was originally from New Brunswick, and his mother, Mary, was an immigrant from Ireland; he had a brother named Jeremiah. With that information, Justin was able to locate a death certificate.

Further Reading

• "Rooney Sweeney", in Bill Carle, ed.: Biographical Research Committee Report, SABR, May/June 2024, p. 2.

Related Sites

• Rooney Sweeney at the SABR Bio Project