Who was Shoeless Joe Jackson? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Joseph Jefferson Jackson

Died At Age: 64

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Katherine Wynn (m. 1908–1951)

father: George Jackson

mother: Martha Jackson

siblings: Gertrude Trammell

Baseball Players American Men

Died on: December 5, 1951

place of death: Greenville, South Carolina, United States

U.S. State: South Carolina

Cause of Death: Heart Attack

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1

What was Shoeless Joe Jackson's role in the 1919 Black Sox scandal?

Shoeless Joe Jackson was accused of being involved in the 1919 Black Sox scandal, where members of the Chicago White Sox conspired to intentionally lose the World Series in exchange for money from gamblers.
2

Did Shoeless Joe Jackson ever admit to participating in the 1919 Black Sox scandal?

No, Shoeless Joe Jackson maintained his innocence throughout his life and claimed that he never took part in any efforts to fix games or throw the World Series.
3

What is the legacy of Shoeless Joe Jackson in baseball history?

Despite being banned from baseball due to his alleged involvement in the 1919 Black Sox scandal, Shoeless Joe Jackson is still remembered as one of the greatest hitters in the history of the sport, with a career batting average of .356.
4

Was Shoeless Joe Jackson's ban from baseball permanent?

Yes, Shoeless Joe Jackson was banned from baseball for life by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis in 1921, along with seven other players involved in the 1919 Black Sox scandal.
5

Was Shoeless Joe Jackson ever reinstated into baseball after his ban?

No, Shoeless Joe Jackson's ban from baseball was never lifted, and he was never reinstated into the sport during his lifetime, despite efforts by supporters to have his ban overturned posthumously.

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Childhood & Early Life

Born on July 16, 1887, in Pickens County, South Carolina, Joseph Jefferson Jackson was the oldest son of Martha and George Jackson, who was a sharecropper. He relocated to Pelzer, South Carolina with his family early in his life.

A few years later, the family had to move once more, this time to a company town called Brandon Mill, which is located on the outskirts of Greenville, South Carolina. When he was ten years old, he suffered a serious bout of measles. It confined him to his bed for two months, paralyzed, while his mother took care of him.

He took a job as a “linthead” in the town’s textile mills at the age of six or seven. He had a brother named Gertrude Trammell. His family was not financially able to provide him with an education, so Jackson remained illiterate for the rest of his life. To support his impoverished family, he worked a 12-hour shift every day.

He was interested in baseball from an early age and his mother agreed to let him play for the Brandon Mill’s baseball team. Thus, Jackson’s life as a baseball player formally took off.

Being the youngest player in the team, he earned $2.50 to play on Saturdays. He initially participated in the games as a pitcher but after accidentally breaking another player’s arm with a fastball, the team manager put him in the outfield. Subsequently, his hitting ability made him popular in his hometown. During this period, he was gifted with a baseball bat, which he later named “Black Betsy”.

By 1905, he had become a semi-professional and was travelling from one mill town to another, playing for the respective teams. He was nicknamed ‘Shoeless Joe’ during one of these games in Greenville, South Carolina. Jackson had to take off his shoes as he had blisters on his foot from his new pair of cleats. He was batting when a heckling fan noticed his feet and shouted, “You shoeless son of a gun, you!" The resulting nickname stuck with him for the rest of his life.

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Career

In 1908, Shoeless Joe Jackson joined Greenville Spinners, beginning his career as a professional baseball player. In the same year, he signed a contract with Connie Mack to be a member of the Philadelphia Athletics’ squad for MLB.

Initially, he encountered some troubles adapting to the life of a professional sportsman in a major city like Philadelphia. He was also reportedly being hazed by his teammates on a regular basis. He played only ten professional games in the 1908-09 season.

In 1910, the Athletics traded him to the Cleveland Naps. After spending the majority of his first season with the Naps in the minor league, Jackson recorded a .408 batting average in his first ever full season in 1911 as well as led the league with a .468 on-base percentage.

The following season, his average was .395 and he was the leader in the American League in hits, triples, and total bases. On April 20, 1912, Jackson had the honor of scoring the first run at the Tiger Stadium. In 1913, he was again leading the league with 197 hits and a .551 slugging percentage.

Jackson was traded once more in 1915. During his tenure with the Chicago White Sox, he was instrumental in White Sox’s American League pennant and the World Series wins. He batted .307 against the New York Giants during White Sox’s successful campaign in the World Series

As the World War I broke out, Jackson was designated to work in a shipyard, missing most of the 1918 season. He returned next year and registered a solid .351 average during the regular season and an average of .375 with perfect fielding in the World Series. However, the White Sox lost the series to the Cincinnati Reds.

Jackson batted .382 in the next season and was at the forefront of the American league when the Black Sox Scandal began to unfold.

Following White Sox’s defeat against the Reds in the 1919 World Series, Jackson and seven of his teammates, first baseman Arnold "Chick" Gandil, pitcher Eddie Cicotte, centre fielder Oscar "Happy" Felsch, utility infielder Fred McMullin, shortstop Charles "Swede" Risberg, third baseman George "Buck" Weaver, and pitcher Claude "Lefty" Williams, faced accusations of match-fixing at the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds.

It was alleged that they had taken $5,000 each to lose the match. Jackson had an incredible season in the concerning year and the reports on contemporary newspapers do not support the assertion that the Reds scored a high number triples to his position in the left field. In September 1920, a grand jury was designated to look into the allegations.

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A year later, a Chicago jury found them not guilty of the charges and all the players were subsequently acquitted. However, the newly appointed Commissioner of Baseball Kenesaw Mountain Landis slapped a lifetime ban on Jackson and his teammates.

Even after his permanent suspension, Jackson was associated with baseball, both as a player and coach, for the next 20 years. He primarily was involved with minor league teams based out of Georgia and South Carolina. He eventually shifted to Savannah, Georgia, where he started a dry cleaning business with the help of his wife.

Awards & Achievements

In 1951, Shoeless Joe Jackson was inducted into the Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame. That year, he was also honored by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

In 2002, a statue was erected in his honor in Greenville, South Carolina. He was inducted into the Baseball Reliquary's Shrine of the Eternals, also in 2002.

Personal Life & Legacy

Jackson wed Katherine “Katie” Wynn in 1908 and was married to her until his death in 1951. The couple did not have any children but brought up two of his nephews together.

In 1933, Jackson and his wife moved to Greenville, South Carolina, where they had a barbecue restaurant. As he got older, he developed several heart issues.

On December 5, 1951, he passed away due to a heart attack at his home in Greenville. He was 64. Jackson was subsequently buried at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Greenville.

American author Eliot Asinof’s book ‘Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 Series’ was published in 1963 and in 1988, a film of the same was released with actor D.B. Sweeney as Jackson. In the 1989 Kevin Costner-starrer ‘Field of Dreams’, Jackson was portrayed by actor Ray Liotta.

Facts About Shoeless Joe Jackson

Shoeless Joe Jackson earned his nickname not because he actually played baseball without shoes, but because he once played a game in his socks due to blisters from new cleats.

Jackson had a unique batting style, holding his bat flat against his body and taking a deep stance, which was unconventional for his time but proved to be effective for him.

Despite his involvement in the infamous Black Sox scandal, where members of the Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing the

World Series, many believe that Jackson was not fully aware of the extent of the scheme and was unfairly implicated.

Shoeless Joe Jackson was known for his incredible hitting ability, boasting a career batting average of .356, which ranks third all-time in Major League Baseball history.

Jackson's legacy lives on in popular culture, with references to him appearing in films, books, and even a famous line from the movie "Field of Dreams" where a character says, "If you build it, he will come," referring to Shoeless Joe's appearance on the baseball field.

Shoeless Joe Jackson Biography

You wanted to know

What was Shoeless Joe Jackson's role in the 1919 Black Sox scandal?

Did Shoeless Joe Jackson ever admit to participating in the 1919 Black Sox scandal?

What is the legacy of Shoeless Joe Jackson in baseball history?

Was Shoeless Joe Jackson's ban from baseball permanent?

Was Shoeless Joe Jackson ever reinstated into baseball after his ban?