Jerry Kindall

Gerald Donald Kindall (May 27, 1935 – December 24, 2017) was an American professional baseball player and college baseball player and coach.

Gerald Donald Kindall was born on May 27, 1935, to parents Harold “Butch” and Alfield Kindall in St. Paul, Minnesota.

He attended Washington High School in St. Paul.

As a senior in 1953, he was named the Most Valuable Player of the Minnesota High School Baseball Tournament.

After graduating from Washington, he attended the University of Minnesota.

He was primarily a second baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) who appeared in 742 games played over nine seasons for the Chicago Cubs (1956–58, 1960–61), Cleveland Indians (1962–64), and Minnesota Twins (1964–65).

In 1956, as a student-athlete at Minnesota, his Golden Gophers won the NCAA Division I baseball championship.

Twenty years later, Kindall coached the Arizona Wildcats to a CWS victory, becoming the first person to win CWS titles both as a player and as a head coach.

He is also the last batter to hit for the cycle in the history of the CWS.

Although he had an athletic scholarship to play college basketball, Kindall also played baseball for Minnesota, earning All-America honors in 1956.

That year, he batted .381, hit 18 home runs, and recorded 48 runs batted in.

He was part of a University of Minnesota team that won the 1956 College World Series, defeating the University of Arizona in the finals.

In the tournament, Kindall hit for the cycle.

He is the last person to do so in a College World Series.

After Kindall's 1956 College World Series triumph, he signed with the Chicago Cubs as a bonus baby, reportedly for around $50,000.

The bonus rule, in place at the time, mandated that such players be kept on the Major League Baseball (MLB) signing club's 25-man roster for two full seasons before they could be optioned to minor league baseball; this often resulted in players getting sparse playing time in their early seasons, as their ballclubs preferred to use the more experienced players.

However, the risk of getting less experience was worth it for Kindall.

"My dad was working two jobs, 70 hours a week. My mom was in a wheelchair, I had two younger brothers, and my grandfather was living with us,” Kindall later recalled. “It was a handsome offer so I signed, but not before I made a promise to my parents that I would complete my education."

By taking classes from the University of Minnesota over his offseasons, Kindall eventually completed a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree in physical education.

Kindall reported to the Cubs on July 1 and made his major league debut the same day, pinch running for Monte Irvin in a 7–0 victory over the Milwaukee Braves.

A few of the older players were not happy to have him around: besides joining the team with a lofty salary rather than first playing for low wages in the minor leagues, Kindall had replaced Ed Winceniak, a popular player who had a strong rapport with the rest of the team.

Others were friendly to him, particularly third base coach Pepper Martin, who looked out for the young player when the team was travelling.

Kindall's first at bat came as a surprise after several weeks of pinch running; he was asked to hit against Roy Face of the Pittsburgh Pirates because the Cubs had batted around since Kindall pinch ran.

"Someone told me before I went up to watch for his forkball," Kindall later recalled, but he saw only fastballs as he struck out on three pitches.

In August, Kindall received more playing time, starting at shortstop from August 11 through August 26 while Ernie Banks was unavailable due to a hand infection.

Though he struggled as a hitter, he played well defensively.

In 32 games his rookie year, he batted .164 with seven runs scored, nine hits, no home runs, and no RBI.

During the 1957 season, Kindall received most of his playing time at second base and third base, though he also played some games at shortstop.

On July 5, he hit his first major league home run, a two-run shot against Bob Buhl in a 7–4 victory over Milwaukee.

He continued to struggle offensively; after July 30, he had only three hits in 53 at bats.

In 72 games (181 at bats), he batted .160 with 18 runs scored, 29 hits, six home runs, and 12 RBI.

A change to the bonus rule prior to the 1958 season meant that Kindall's half-season in 1956 now counted towards one of his two full seasons, and he was eligible to be optioned to the minors.

The Cubs subsequently sent him to the Fort Worth Cats of the Class AA Texas League to work on his hitting.

"I was grateful for the major-league experience, but I was glad when they sent me down," Kindall said, eager for the opportunity to get more experience.

His batting average increased with Fort Worth, though it was still just .229.

In 143 games (512 at bats), he recorded 60 runs scored, 117 hits, 16 home runs, and 65 RBI.

After his playing career, he became the head baseball coach of the University of Arizona Wildcats, winning 860 games and three College World Series (CWS) championships over 24 seasons (1973–1996).

Kindall batted and threw right-handed and was listed as 6 ft tall and 175 lb.

Kindall was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, and graduated from Washington High School before attending the University of Minnesota.

Kindall was elected to the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.