John Herrnstein

His great uncle Albert E. Herrnstein played for Fielding H. Yost's famed "Point-a-Minute" teams in 1901 and 1902.

Herrnstein attended the University of Michigan where he was a star athlete in both baseball and football.

His father, William Herrnstein, Jr., played for the Wolverines from 1923 to 1925, and his grandfather, William Herrnstein, Sr., played for the team in the 1898 and 1900 seasons.

John Ellett Herrnstein (March 31, 1938 – October 3, 2017) was an American baseball and football player.

He batted and threw left-handed, stood 6 ft tall and weighed 215 lb. Michigan baseball coach Ray Fisher called him the Wolverines' best baseball player since Dick Wakefield in the early 1940s.

He also played college baseball and football at the University of Michigan from 1956 to 1959.

In football, he played fullback on offense and linebacker on defense from 1956 to 1958.

As a sophomore, he rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown in his third game against Army and scored three touchdowns in his fourth game against Northwestern.

He was the starting fullback on the 1956 Michigan Wolverines football team that finished with a 7–2 record and a #7 ranking in both the Associated Press and United Press International polls.

He rushed for 475 net yards on 123 carries, scored seven touchdowns and tied with Terry Barr as Michigan's leading scorer in 1956.

In a preview of the 1957 season, The Sporting News called Herrnstein "Michigan's Big Gun" and a "pounding fullback."

During the 1957 football season, an injury to his left foot slowed Herrnstein.

He had played 442 minutes as a sophomore, but was limited to 179 minutes in 1957.

In December 1957, he was elected by his teammates as the captain of the 1958 Michigan Wolverines football team.

In baseball, Herrnstein played for the Michigan Wolverines baseball team in 1957 and 1958.

He was the captain of the 1958 Michigan Wolverines football team and the third generation of the Herrnstein family to play for a Michigan Wolverines football team.

In the 1958 season opener, Herrnstein rushed for a career-high 144 yards and scored two touchdowns against the USC Trojans.

However, in the second game, he sustained a hand injury in the first quarter and was sidelined for the rest of the game.

In the first quarter of the season's third game, a 20–14 loss to Navy, Herrnstein injured his left knee.

He later recounted the play: "I was the linebacker and a Navy blocker hit me from nowhere. That was the third game of the year, but the last one for me. The ligaments in my knee were torn up pretty bad."

The knee injury sidelined Herrnstein for the remainder of the 1958 season and ended his football career.

Herrnstein had been a highly touted baseball prospect prior to his knee surgery in 1958.

He had turned down offers from major league teams in order to attend college.

While the knee surgery reduced the interest in Herrnstein among some clubs, the Philadelphia Phillies remained interested and signed him to a contract on December 2, 1958, in exchange for a bonus of $35,000.

Herrnstein signed with the Phillies while still a student at Michigan and while recuperating from the knee surgery.

He later recalled, "They operated on me right away and the Phillies scout came to me and I signed the contract while I was still in the hospital."

At the time, Herrnstein said, "I'll leave school at the end of the semester in January and plan to return in September to finish up."

Herrnstein began his professional baseball career in 1959 for the Des Moines Demons in the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League.

He appeared in 105 games, compiling a .244 batting average with 21 doubles, three triples and 10 RBIs, as he helped lead the team to a 78–48 record.

Herrnstein later recalled that he was disappointed with his offensive performance at Des Moines: "That first year I didn't think I'd ever hit."

He was promoted to the Eastern League in 1960, where he became a key player for the Williamsport Grays as the team won the 1960 league pennant.

Herrnstein hit .305 with 16 home runs, six triples, 11 stolen bases, and 85 RBIs.

Following his strong showing at Williamsport, Herrnstein played in 1961 for the Chattanooga Lookouts in the Southern Association.

He appeared in 159 games for the Lookouts and batted .292 with a .365 on-base percentage, 22 doubles, six triples, 17 home runs, and 95 RBIs.

He played Major League Baseball from 1962 to 1966 for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and Atlanta Braves.

In 1962, Herrnstein played for the Buffalo Bisons in the International League.

He appeared in 148 games and compiled a .293 batting average, .356 on-base percentage, 30 doubles, seven triples, 23 RBIs, and six stolen bases.

The Sporting News published a feature story on Herrnstein in June in which it noted his ability to hit effectively off left-handed pitchers:"'A modern rarity -- a lefthanded batter who rips lefthanded pitching -- is Buffalo's candidate for rookie of the year. He is Outfielder John Herrnstein, six feet, four inches and 215 pounds, who runs with a 10.2 sprinter's speed.'"

Buffalo's manager Kerby Farrell said at the time, "At this stage of his career, Herrnstein has more potential than either Roger Maris or Rocky Colavito", both of whom Farrell had coached in the minor leagues.

In September 1962, he was reacquired by the Phillies from Buffalo.