Fergie Jenkins Most Memorable Moment at the Hall of Fame

Dennis Corcoran
Aug 24, 2017 · 2 min read

Fergie Jenkins shared with me during the 2017 Induction Weekend his most memorable moment at the Hall of Fame.It took place during his own induction in 1991. He was inducted with Rod Carew and Gaylord Perry. It happened at the Otesaga Hotel, prior to the induction ceremony. As he described it, he got to “meet players of great stature,” including Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. He concluded by stating, “What a great day, one I will always remember.”

Hopefully, this will be an inspiration for any reader to share with me a nice memory that you have of visiting the Hall of Fame, so I can include it in a future “I Left My Heart in Cooperstown” Blog column as well as consider it for my book’s sequel.

Here are some highlights about Fergie from my book, which he was so kind to say was, “An Outstanding Book.” He won 20 or more games six straight seasons with the Cubs and won the Cy Young Award in 1971. He went on to win 20 games again with the Texas Rangers and was chosen the American League’s Comeback Player of the Year in 1975.

Jenkins suffered several tragedies in his life. His mother was blind and died of cancer at the age of 52. His second wife died in an auto accident, and later his fiancee committed suicide. Nevertheless, he overcame these personal losses with a positive outlook on life

He became the first Hall of Famer from Canada as he strode to the podium during his induction ceremony as the high school band from his hometown of Chatham, Ontario played “Canadian Sunset.” He also acknowledged his father who was there at the induction. His father played in the Canadian Negro Leagues and Fergie paid tribute to him by saying, “His sacrifices have been rewarded by my achievements.” He continued, “So I’m not being inducted alone today, but with my father, Fergie Jenkins, Sr.” He closed with, “It is with the deepest humility that I accept this prestigious award. I will cherish it forever.”

It should also be pointed out that he was a versatile athlete who played hockey and was good enough in basketball to have played one season with the Harlem Globetrotters. He also started his Fergie Jenkins Foundation in 2000, which supports many charitable events in both Canada and the United States.

Thanks to a mutual friend from Canada I was able to interview him for the book and I found him to be pleasant, forthright and informative. He shared with me an interesting idea that I included in the Afterward of my book. He suggested the Hall of Fame should consider recognizing the Japanese all-time home run leader, Sadaharu Oh. One reason he mentioned this was the World Baseball classic was about to begin in 2006.

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