Jack Chapman

Who was Jack Chapman?

John Curtis "Jack" Chapman was an American Major League Baseball player and manager who was born in Brooklyn, New York. He began playing in the National Association when he played for the 1874 Brooklyn Atlantics and the 1875 St. Louis Brown Stockings. In 1876, when the National League formed, he became the player-manager for the Louisville Grays. The following season saw him staying with Louisville in the manager role only. After the 1877 season, the Louisville team was expelled from the National League and Chapman became manager of the Milwaukee Grays. The team had a poor record, and he was fired. In all, he managed 11 seasons in the majors, compiling a record of 351 wins and 502 losses, winning one championship in 1890 with the Louisville Colonels of the American Association.

Chapman's nickname was "Death to Flying Things", although fellow major leaguer Bob Ferguson had also been given the nickname. Chapman died in Brooklyn at the age of 73, and he is interred at Green-Wood Cemetery.