Jimmy Collins

James Joseph "Jimmy" Collins (1870–1943) reshaped the way third base was played, charging bunts barehanded and turning a corner position long treated as a graveyard for slow infielders into a real defensive craft. Born January 16, 1870 in Niagara Falls, New York, he turned professional in 1893 and reached the majors in 1895, sticking through 1908 across fourteen big-league seasons and bouncing on through the minors until 1911. He took over as player-manager of the Boston Americans in 1901 and ran the bench through 1906, captaining the club to victory over Pittsburgh in the inaugural 1903 World Series. By the end of his playing days he had migrated to the Philadelphia Athletics, the team filed as his primary club. A 5'9", 178-pound right-handed thrower and right-handed hitter, Collins is represented in our 1909-era holdings on T204 Ramly and T206 White Border. He died March 6, 1943 in Buffalo, just down the river from where he was born, and is buried at Section O, Lot 274, Grave 4 of Holy Cross Cemetery in Lackawanna, New York. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1945, the same Cooperstown class that took in Roger Bresnahan.