Sports
Sam Thompson
1860–1922 · baseball player, right fielder
Hall of Fame slugger of the 1887 champion Detroit Wolverines who later settled in Detroit, played briefly for the Tigers at 46 and is buried at Elmwood Cemetery.
- Born
Danville, Indiana- Died
Detroit, Michigan
aged 62- Birth name
- Samuel Luther Thompson
- Also known as
- Big Sam
- Detroit years
- 1885–1888, 1906–1922
- Field
- Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Big Sam Thompson, a six-foot-two Indiana carpenter with a handlebar mustache, came to Detroit in 1885 when the Wolverines bought the Indianapolis club's contracts and famously hid the players on a boat on the Detroit River until the waiting period for rival bids had passed. At Recreation Park he became one of the most feared hitters in the National League. In 1887 he led the league with a .372 average and 166 runs batted in, carrying Detroit to the pennant and a victory over the St. Louis Browns in the era's championship series. When the Wolverines folded he went to Philadelphia, but he always considered Detroit home. He returned to live in the city, and in 1906, at 46, he played eight games for the injury-hit Tigers. He died in Detroit in 1922 and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.
Highlights
- 166 runs batted in for the 1887 champion Wolverines, a record for decades
- Led the National League with a .372 average in 1887
- Played eight games for the Tigers in 1906 at age 46
- Elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 3
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Played here · 1885–1888
Recreation Park (site) and historical marker
Demolished · 1879–1894
The Wolverines' home, now part of the Detroit Medical Center campus; a historical marker recalls the ballpark.
Played here · 1906
Bennett Park (site)
Demolished · 1896–1911
Where he made his brief 1906 comeback with the Tigers.
Buried here · 1922
Elmwood Cemetery
His grave is in Section 2 of Detroit's historic Elmwood Cemetery.