Cal Hawk

William Clarence "Cal" Hawk (October 20, 1847 – December 16, 1899) was an American professional baseball player in the 1870s. He played as a pitcher for the Oil City Senecas, the New Castle Neshannocks and the Bradford team. In 1873, he became the first pitcher to receive a stated salary, being paid $62 per month.[3] He has been called "the first real professional hurler the game ever had."[4] In 1899, the Sporting Life reported that he was "one of the first twirlers to pitch a curve ball, which in his time was considered a wonderful feat."[5]

Cal Hawk
Pitcher
Born: October 20, 1847[1][2]
Leechburg, Pennsylvania
Died: December 16, 1899(1899-12-16) (aged 52)
Freeport, Pennsylvania
Teams
    Career highlights and awards
    • First baseball pitcher to receive a stated salary

    Hawk retired from professional baseball in 1877, though he continued to participate in games at Freeport, Pennsylvania.[5] Hawk was employed by Guckenheimer & Bros. distillery in Freeeport after retiring from baseball. While at work, he fell on his head onto a cement floor from a height of approximately 12 feet. The concussion from the fall led to traumatic meningitis, and Hawk died at his home in Freeport, Pennsylvania, in December 1899 at age 52.[5][6] He was buried at the Freeport Cemetery.[7]

    References
    1. Baptism record for William Clarence Hawk, birth 20 Oct 1847, place Leechburg, Armstrong, Pennsylvania, USA, father George Hawk , mother Elcia Hawk, denomination Presbyterian, Greystone United Presbyterian Church. Source Citation: Historical Society of Pennsylvania; Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records; Reel: 421. Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985 [database on-line].
    2. 1850 U.S. Census entry for George and Eliza Hawk. Son William, age 3, residing in Allegheny, Armstrong, Pennsylvania. Source Citation: Year: 1850; Census Place: Allegheny, Armstrong, Pennsylvania; Roll: M432_749; Page: 140B; Image: 286. Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line].
    3. "Squibs of the Diamond". The Pittsburgh Press. September 2, 1917. p. 8 (sports).
    4. Peter Morris (2009). Catcher: The Evolution of an American Folk Hero. Government Institutes. p. 82. ISBN 1615780033.
    5. "A Veteran Dead: Cal Hawk, a Noted Player of the '70's, Called Out by the Great Umpire" (PDF). The Sporting Life. December 30, 1899. p. 11.
    6. "W. C. Hawk". Greensburg Daily Tribune. December 19, 1899.
    7. "William Clarence Hawk". Find A Grave. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
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