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That Time a Guy Playing a Handful of Baseball Games Nearly Changed American History Forever



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A Genius Among Us

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U.S. Presidents and sports have always been connected. Gerald Ford played football as a University of Michigan undergrad. George H.W. Bush played in the first two College World Series. George W. Bush was part owner of the Texas Rangers’ baseball franchise. Barack Obama frequently plays pickup basketball games with his staff (no doubt all terrified of accidentally hurting the Commander-in-Chief during the games.) Heck, Ronald Reagan even portrayed “The Gipper” in the football movie Knute Rockne, All American during his acting days. But only one U.S. President was ever a professional athlete, albeit for a very brief time. Evidence points to Dwight D. Eisenhower having played semi-pro minor league baseball in 1911 in Junction City, Kansas. Although for much of his life, this was something he chose to keep secret. Had he not in the first few years after he did this, it would have changed the course of American history.

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Sources:

http://ourgame.mlblogs.com/2014/02/28/our-baseball-presidents-part-2/
http://books.google.com/books?id=LkpS4twE2fEC&pg=PA95&lpg=PA95&dq=The+General+admitted+that+as+a+youth+he+had+done+so+(played+semi-pro+ball),+under+the+assumed+name+of+Wilson&source=bl&ots=i9On9_tw6X&sig=fl0QCK2Ettk1_cVXLVd7DFtMTik&hl=en&sa=X&ei=oxB8U8rFFNHioATKpIG4AQ&ved=0CDwQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=The%20General%20admitted%20that%20as%20a%20youth%20he%20had%20done%20so%20(played%20semi-pro%20ball)%2C%20under%20the%20assumed%20name%20of%20Wilson&f=false
http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1911.shtml
http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/team.cgi?id=3c5a942c
http://library.uwsp.edu/pcl/history/ourcounty/images/00000024.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisenhower_baseball_controversy
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/research/finding_aids/pdf/Eisenhower_Dwight_Post_Presidential_Papers/1967_Principal_File.pdf
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/research/oral_histories/oral_history_transcripts/Eisenhower_Barbara_492.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadet_Honor_Code
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/all_about_ike/abilene_years.html
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/Aug/29/president-Eisenhower-pro-baseball-mystery-swank/
http://books.google.com/books?id=jO2gLXNNa2wC&pg=PT1091&lpg=PT1091&dq=John+Wickman+Eisenhower&source=bl&ots=Tw-2atB8GP&sig=e07wUUYXQc8YqNbjQUp8ZY6ameA&hl=en&sa=X&ei=asB6U4GrLZGwoQTa7oDoCA&ved=0CEYQ6AEwBA#v=snippet&q=minor%20league%20baseball&f=false
http://baseballhistorydaily.com/tag/central-kansas-league
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/yearly/yr1911n.shtml
http://www.kancoll.org/khq/1940/40_2_evans.htm
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/all_about_ike/abilene_years/ikes_abilene/growing_up_in_abilene/ikes_words/racing.pdf

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