Pauline Crawley (September 11, 1924 – September 18, 2003) was a

fourth outfielder In baseball, a utility player or utility man is a player who has the ability to play more than one position in the field and is primarily used as a substitute. The term super utility player may be used to refer to a player who can play all or mos ...

who played in the

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a professional women's baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley, which existed from 1943 to 1954. The AAGPBL is the forerunner of women's professional league sports in the Uni ...

. Listed at 5' 4", 145 lb., she batted and threw right handed. Born in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

, the diminutive Pauline Crawley was a surehanded outfielder with a strong throwing arm. She played in parts of only two seasons in the league over a six-year span due to a severe knee injury. Crawley started to play

softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

at age 11 in a Phoenix league. Her softball team was a perennial participant in national tournaments. She earned her nickname ″Hedy″ as a teenager, because she kiddingly said that she bore resemblance to

Hedy Lamarr Hedy Lamarr (; born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler; November 9, 1914 January 19, 2000) was an Austrian-born American actress and inventor. After a brief early film career in Czechoslovakia, including the controversial erotic romantic drama '' Ecstasy ...

, one of her favorite

movie star A movie star (also known as a film star or cinema star) is an actor who is famous for their starring, or leading, roles in movies. The term is used for performers who are marketable stars as they become popular household names and whose names ...

s. Her close friend

Joanne Winter Joanne Emily Winter '' o' (November 24, 1924 – September 22, 1996) was a pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 138 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. Early life A nativ ...

, 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, ...

who had joined the league in its inaugural 1943 season, arranged for her to try out with future

Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

Max Carey Maximillian George Carnarius (January 11, 1890 – May 30, 1976), also known as Max George Carey, was an American professional baseball center fielder and manager. Carey played in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1910 throug ...

, by then the league's president. She was accepted by Carey and assigned to the Peoria Redwings for the start of the 1946 season.The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League About halfway through her rookie season, Crawley twisted her left knee and was required to have surgery. She even paid for the operation's fuel cost. "I had injured my knee in Phoenix and I didn't think it was their fault", she explained in an interview. As a result, the league did not offer her a contract the next year. She then joined the rival National Girls Baseball League in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

from 1947 through 1950. After that, Crawley took an employment with

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...

before deciding to return to the AAGPBL without a guaranteed contract. She was accepted and relocated to the Battle Creek Belles, playing for them the entire 1951 season. In 1952, Crawley quit baseball and went on to attend

California State University The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a Public university, public university system in California, and the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, largest public university system in the United States ...

, where she earned a bachelor's degree. She then rejoined United Airlines, working for them as an executive secretary during 32 years. She later worked four years with

Northrop Aircraft Northrop Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer from its formation in 1939 until its 1994 merger with Grumman to form Northrop Grumman. The company is known for its development of the flying wing design, most successfully the B-2 Spiri ...

manufacturer before retiring for good. Over the years, she had four knee surgeries on her knee before she had replaced it in 1993 by Dr. Robert Murphy, a skilled

orthopaedic surgeon Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternative spelling orthopaedics) is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...

who replaced the injured knee of former U.S. President

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...

. Crawley remained living in the area of California for a long time. After retiring, she enjoyed playing

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

and assisted to AAGPBL Players Association reunions. The association was largely responsible for the opening of ''Women in Baseball'', a permanent display at the

Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...

Cooperstown, New York Cooperstown is a village in and the county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in ...

, which was inaugurated in November 1988. In addition, she formed part of the Golden Diamond Girls, a group of former players who attend vintage baseball card shows and sign autographs. Pauline Crawley died in 2003 in

Cathedral City, California Cathedral City, colloquially known as "Cat City", is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. Situated between Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage, the city has the second la ...

, a week after her 79th birthday.Intelius.com – Pauline M. Crawley report
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Career statistics

Batting Fielding

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crawley, Pauline All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players Peoria Redwings players Battle Creek Belles players Baseball players from Phoenix, Arizona California State University alumni 1924 births 2003 deaths 21st-century American women