Chuck Connors
| Birthdate | 4/10/1921 |
| Death Date | 11/10/1992 |
| Debut Year | 1949 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Cubs, Dodgers |
| Position | First Base |
Best known as the title character in TV’s The Rifleman, Chuck Connors played with both the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Dodgers.
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A devout Brooklyn Dodger fan growing up, Chuck Connors later played for the club
A devout Brooklyn Dodger fan growing up, Chuck Connors later played for the club
Before Chuck Connors began his legendary acting career, he was a professional athlete in two sports. Connors began playing professional baseball at age 19 in 1940 for the Dodgers Class-D team in Newport, Arkansas.
After two seasons he joined the war effort by enlisting into the US Army. When the war ended Connors returned to baseball with the Class-B Dodgers in the Piedmont League. He toiled in the minors until getting a one-game call up to Brooklyn in 1949.
Connors spent all of 1950 back in the minors then was traded to the Cubs in December. The following season Connors split time between the Triple-A Los Angeles Angels and the Cubs. He appeared in 66 games with Chicago, hitting .239 with 2 homers and and 18 runs batted in.
Connors benefitted greatly from his time with the PCL Angels. Connors is quoted in The Sporting News about how his time in Los Angeles helped his film career.
“Greatest break I ever got,” he said. “I’m out there right in the middle of the movie business where, if a guy has anything, he’s got the chance to break in.”
He played all of 1951 for the Angels before giving up his athletic career to focus on Hollywood. During his nine-year professional baseball career Connors’ played in 1,019 games, amassing 1,029 hits, 516 runs, and 539 RBI.
Shown here is a baseball card autographed by Connors.
Standing at 6'5", Chuck Connors played for the Boston Celtics from 1946-1948
Standing at 6'5", Chuck Connors played for the Boston Celtics from 1946-1948
When Chuck Connors left the US Army after World War II, he played both pro baseball and basketball. In 1946 he joined the Rochester Royals of the National Basketball League. The 6’5″ Connors helped them capture the NBL title.
The following season Connors jumped to the newly formed Boston Celtics of the Basketball Association of America. Connors enjoyed two seasons in Boston.
His overall statistics include 67 games in parts of three professional seasons.
Shown here is a picture of Connors in his Boston Celtics uniform.
Chuck Connors is best known for portraying Lucas McCain on The Rifelman
Chuck Connors is best known for portraying Lucas McCain on The Rifelman
A rare two-sport professional athlete, Chuck Connors is better known for his time as a Hollywood actor. A veteran of 138 movies and television shows, Connors gained national renown as Lucas McCain in The Rifleman.
The series aired on ABC for five seasons and depicted Connors as a single parent raising his son in the old west. From 1958-1963, Americans watched Connors wield his rifle in the name of honor.
Connors’ fame opened many doors. A personal friend of actor-turned-president Ronald Reagan, Connors was a strong supporter of the Republican Party.
In 1973 he met Soviet premier Leonid Brezhnev at El Toro Marine Station with President Nixon. As he exited his plane, Brezhnev spotted Connors on the tarmac. He shook Connors hand and the two shared a hearty embrace.
The pair became mutual admirers. During a time that few American television shows were available on Russian TV, The Rifleman was allowed to air. When Nixon hosted a party in San Clemente, both Brezhnev and Connors were on the guest list. The Rifleman presented the Russian leader with a pair of six-shooter revolvers.
Connors last appearance on film came in 1992 in the year of his death when he appeared in a movie called, Three Days to a Kill.
Connors helped end the 1966 holdout of Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale
Connors helped end the 1966 holdout of Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale
Few baseball fans realize that the Dodgers’ 1966 National League pennant came with a tip of the cap to Chuck Connors. A preseason holdout by star pitchers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale threatened to derail the season before it began.
Holding out together, the pitchers each demanded something no player at their position ever had – a six-figure salary. At an impasse with Dodger management, the duo signaled their willingness to sit out the year by signing to appear in a Hollywood movie.
Negotiations between the players and the team broke down. Soon the two sides weren’t even on speaking terms.
That’s when Connors stepped in.
According to BaseballRoundtable.com, the actor, “played a key role setting up the late March meeting between Buzzie Bavasi and Drysdale (at Nicola’s, a popular restaurant near Dodger Stadium) that led finally broke the impasse – with Koufax signing for $125,000 and Drysdale for $100,000.”
Showing no ill effects of the holdout, Drysdale had 11 complete games and 3 shutouts in 40 starts. Koufax led the league in wins (27), ERA (1.73), and strikeouts (317) to earn his third pitching Triple Crown in four seasons.
The pair was joined by rookie Don Sutton, Claude Osteen, and Joe Moeller in a rotation that made all 162 starts in 1966. The Dodgers’ 95 victories were enough to capture the National League pennant. In World Series sweep by the Orioles, MVP Frank Robinson smacked two homers and had three RBI – one more than the entire Dodger offense.
This picture shows, from left to right, Drysdale, Bavasi, Koufax, and Connors announcing an end to the pitchers’ holdout.
