Oliver Perry Beard (May 2, 1862 – May 28, 1929) was an American

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

player who played

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

for the Cincinnati Red Stockings/Reds from 1889 to 1890. He then played

third base A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

for the

Louisville Colonels The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that also played in the American Association (AA) throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891. They were known as the Louisville Eclipse from 1882 to 1884, and as th ...

in 1891. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, it is claimed that his family invented the

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

version of the food, "

Burgoo Burgoo is a stew, similar to Irish or Mulligan stew, often served with cornbread or corn muffins. It is often prepared communally as a social gathering. It is popular as the basis for civic fund-raisers in the American Midwest and South. Et ...

". In his three-year career, he led the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

in games played with 141 in 1889, and twice finished in the top five in the league in triples. He finished his career with 331 games played, a .270

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

, 195 runs scored, 34 doubles, 34 triples, and four

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s. He died at the age of 67 in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...

, and was

cremated Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre i ...

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1862 births 1929 deaths 19th-century baseball players Major League Baseball shortstops Major League Baseball third basemen Cincinnati Red Stockings (AA) players Cincinnati Reds players Louisville Colonels players Minor league baseball managers Evansville (minor league baseball) players Nashville Americans players Acid Iron Earths players Syracuse Stars (minor league baseball) players Denver Mountaineers players Spokane Bunchgrassers players Macon Central City players Macon Hornets players Charleston Seagulls players Kansas City Cowboys (minor league) players Nashville Tigers players Evansville Black Birds players Rochester Blackbirds players Detroit Tigers (Western League) players Scranton Red Sox players Baseball players from Lexington, Kentucky {{US-baseball-shortstop-stub