William Clarence "Cal" Hawk (October 20, 1847 – December 16, 1899) was an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

player in the 1870s. He played as a

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for the Oil City Senecas, the New Castle Neshannocks and the

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

team. In 1873, he became the first

to receive a stated salary, being paid $62 per month. He has been called "the first real professional hurler the game ever had." 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." Hawk retired from professional baseball in 1877, though he continued to participate in games at

Freeport, Pennsylvania Freeport is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is situated along the Allegheny River in the southwestern corner of the county. The population was 1,736 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 cen ...

. 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 Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, intense headache, vomiting and neck stiffness and occasion ...

, and Hawk died at his Freeport home, in December 1899 at age 52. He was buried at the Freeport Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawk, Cal 1847 births 1899 deaths 19th-century baseball players 19th-century American sportsmen Bradford (minor league baseball) players Oil City (minor league baseball) players New Castle Neshannocks players People from Freeport, Pennsylvania Sportspeople from Armstrong County, Pennsylvania