Edd Roush

Edd J. Roush (May 8, 1893 – March 21, 1988) was an American professional baseball player and coach who played as a center fielder in Major League Baseball from 1913 to 1931. Born in Oakland City, Indiana, to Laura and William Roush, a dairy farmer, he was a twin; he and his brother Fred each carried the middle initial J, which was not short for any name. The boys worked on the family dairy farm throughout childhood. Roush was naturally left-handed but learned to throw and bat right-handed early on, as left-handed gloves were scarce in Oakland City. He received his first opportunity in organized play with the local semi-pro Oakland City Walkovers in 1909.

Roush played for the Indianapolis Hoosiers and the Newark Peppers of the Federal League, as well as the Chicago White Sox and the New York Giants, but was most prominently a member of the Cincinnati Reds. With the Reds he was a two-time National League batting champion and led the team to the 1919 World Series championship. Over his 18-year playing career he accumulated a .323 batting average. Roush was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.