Jackie Collum

John Dean Collum (June 21, 1927 – August 29, 2009) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for eight different teams between the 1951 and 1962 seasons. Listed at 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m), 160 lb (73 kg), Collum batted and threw left-handed. He was born in Victor, Iowa.

Jackie Collum
Pitcher
Born: (1927-06-21)June 21, 1927
Victor, Iowa
Died: August 29, 2009(2009-08-29) (aged 82)
Grinnell, Iowa
Batted: Left Threw: Left
MLB debut
September 21, 1951, for the St. Louis Cardinals
Last MLB appearance
August 23, 1962, for the Cleveland Indians
MLB statistics
Games pitched171
Win–loss record32–28
Earned run average4.15
Saves12
Strikeouts/Walks171/173
Teams

Collum was one of four children of John Edward Collum and Sophia Louise Lohman and the youngest of three brothers. He was raised in Newburg, Iowa, near Grinnell, and graduated from Newburg High School, where he played in the Iowa State Baseball Tournament. [1]

Collum served in World War II with the United States Air Force in the Pacific Theatre of Operations,[2] where he was stationed in the Philippines. Following the war he returned home and married Betty Belles on February 28, 1948.[1] He pursued his major league dreams after going 24–2 in 1948 for Class-A St. Joseph team of the Western League.[3]

Basically a reliever, Collum also served in starting roles. He entered the major leagues in 1951 with the St. Louis Cardinals, playing for them until the 1953 midseason before joining the Cincinnati Redlegs from 1953 to 1955. After spending two years out of baseball, he rejoined the Cardinals in 1956 and also pitched with the Chicago Cubs in 1957 and for two Dodgers teams; in 1957, when they were leaving Brooklyn for the sunny skies of Los Angeles starting the 1958 season.

Collum's most productive season came with Cincinnati in 1955, when he recorded career-numbers in wins (9), earned run average (3.63) and complete games (5), while pitching 134 innings.

Collum also had stints with the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians in 1962, his last major league season.

In a nine-season career, Collum posted a 32–28 record with a 4.15 ERA in 171 appearances, including 37 starts, 11 complete games, two shutouts, 12 saves, 171 strikeouts and 173 walks in 464 innings of work.

Collum also helped himself with the bat, hitting for a .246 average (29-for-118) with one home run, 15 runs, 13 RBI, five doubles, and a .321 on-base percentage.

Following his baseball career, Collum worked in the automotive business in Grinnell, Iowa, and was owner of Grinnel Pioneer Oil. He was inducted into the Iowa Baseball Hall of Fame and was also a member of the Major League Baseball Alumni Association and the Grinnell Eagles Lodge.[1]

Collum died in the Mayflower Health Care Center in Grinnell at the age of 82. He was buried at Rock Creek Cemetery of Grinnell.[1]

References
  1. "Recent Passings". TheDeadballEra.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2010. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  2. "Baseball in Wartime – Those Who Served A to Z". BaseballinWartime.com. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  3. Des Moines Register. Des Moines, Iowa http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090903/SPORTS03/90903017/1014. Retrieved June 8, 2016. Missing or empty |title= (help)
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