Jimmy Hitchcock

Who was Jimmy Hitchcock?

James Franklin Hitchcock Jr. was an American football player and Major League baseball player in the Depression Era. Hitchcock attended college at Auburn University, where he was the school's first All-American in both football and baseball.

Known as "The Phantom of Union Springs", Hitchcock earned three varsity football letters at Auburn from 1930-1932. He played quarterback, running back, and punter and led his team to earn the 1932 Southern Conference Championship. Hitchcock was named a member of the 1932 Walter Camp College Football All-America Team and was inducted into the National Football Foundation's College Football Hall of Fame in 1954. He was posthumously inducted into the Helms Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame in 1966 and the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1969.

Hitchcock was also a letterman in baseball and garnered All-America honors. He played professional baseball seven seasons, including playing shortstop for the Boston Bees of the National League in 1938. Following his playing career, Hitchcock returned to Auburn as head baseball coach and assistant football coach. He also took a position on the Auburn University Board of Trustees which was responsible for the hiring of legendary football coach "Shug" Jordan. Auburn's baseball facility, Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park, is named in honor of Jimmy and his younger brother, Billy Hitchcock, who played and managed in the majors.