Edmund Joseph "Cotton" Minahan (December 10, 1882 – May 20, 1958) was a professional

baseball player 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 ...

, and American

track and field athlete Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

who competed at the

1900 Summer Olympics The 1900 Summer Olympics (), today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad () and also known as Paris 1900, were an international multi-sport event that took place in Paris, France, from 14 May to 28 October 1900. No opening or closin ...

in Paris, France.

Early life and education

Minahan was born in

Springfield, Ohio Springfield is a city in Clark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located in southwestern Ohio along the Mad River (Ohio), Mad River, Buck Creek, and Beaver Creek, about west of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus and northeast of ...

, and was one of 10 brothers and sisters, while young his family moved to

Orange, New Jersey The City of Orange (known simply as Orange) is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 34,447, an increase o ...

, and was educated at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

and

Manhattan College Manhattan University (previously Manhattan College) is a private, Catholic university in New York City. Originally established in 1853 by the De La Salle Christian Brothers (Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools) as an academy fo ...

, he competed for the

Georgetown Hoyas The Georgetown Hoyas are the collegiate athletics teams that officially represent Georgetown University, located at Washington, D.C. The Georgetown's athletics department fields 24 men's and women's varsity level teams and competes at the Natio ...

Athletics

In June 1900, Minahan set sail for England with fellow club teammates William Holland and

Arthur Duffey Arthur Francis Duffey (June 14, 1879 – January 23, 1955) was an American track and field athlete who competed at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Biography Duffey won four consecutive 100 yards British AAA Championships titles in ...

to compete in the Amateur Athletic Association of England Games, then they headed to Paris to compete in the

. Minahan competed in the 60 metres event, placing fourth overall. He placed second in his initial heat with an unknown time (though the winner ran it in 7.0 seconds) before coming in fourth of four in the final with an estimated time of 7.2 seconds. Minahan also went on to run in the

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...

, finishing in 12th or 13th place overall. He took second in his heat behind

Norman Pritchard Norman Gilbert Pritchard (23 June 1875 – 30 October 1929), also known by his stage name Norman Trevor, was a British-Indian athlete and actor who became the first Asian-born athlete to win an Olympic medal when he won two silver medals in at ...

to advance to the semifinals, but placed fourth in his semi final so didn't advance to the final or the repechage.

Baseball

Minahan played as a right-handed

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 season with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

. For his career, he compiled a 0–2 record, with a 1.29

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

, and 4

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s in 14 innings pitched. He was the first athlete in history to have been an Olympian in a non-baseball sport and also play in major league baseball, preceding

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe (; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete who won Olympic gold medals and played professional American football, football, baseball, and basketball. A citizen of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was ...

and

Eddy Alvarez Eduardo Cortes Alvarez (born January 30, 1990) is an American professional baseball utility player (baseball), utility player in the Atlanta Braves organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Miami Marlins, Lo ...

Death

Minahan died on May 20, 1958, in

East Orange, New Jersey East Orange is a City (New Jersey), city in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 69,612, an increase of 5,342 (+8.3%) from the 2010 United States ...

, at the age of 75.

References

* De Wael, Herman. ''Herman's Full Olympians'': "Athletics 1900". Accessed 18 March 2006. Available electronically a

. *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Minahan, Cotton 1882 births 1958 deaths Sportspeople from Springfield, Ohio Cincinnati Reds players Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Ohio Birmingham Barons players Toledo Mud Hens players St. Paul Saints (AA) players Rochester Bronchos players Georgetown Hoyas baseball players Manhattan Jaspers baseball players Olympic track and field athletes for the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 1900 Summer Olympics American male sprinters Track and field athletes from Ohio Georgetown Hoyas men's track and field athletes 19th-century American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen