University of Illinois Baseball Players Who Made it to a Major League Baseball Team

University of Illinois Baseball Players Who Made it to the Major Leagues

Baseball Almanac is pleased to present a comprehensive chart of every University of Illinois alumnus who played baseball at the University of Illinois AND made it to the Major League level.

"There are some things I just haven't done repeatedly, like bare-handing the bunt and making the throw on the run. I can do it, but I'd rather go out and take 100 ground balls in practice first." - Scott Spiezio in Komo News Services (December 17, 2003)

University of Illinois "Fighting Illini" Major League Baseball Player Alumnus
Name [Click for M.L. Stats]	Dates Played	Debut / Box
Carl Lundgren	1899 - 1902	06-19-1902
Jake Stahl	1901 - 1903	04-20-1903
Cy Falkenberg	1900 - 1902	04-21-1903
Jim Cook	1900 - 1903	07-02-1903
Big Jeff Pfeffer	1904 - 1904	04-15-1905
Claude Rothgeb	1904 - 1905	06-17-1905
Fred Beebe	1902 - 1903	04-17-1906
Ray Demmitt	1905 - 1906	04-12-1909
Ernie Ovitz	1906 - 1908	06-22-1911
Herb Juul	1906 - 1906	07-11-1911
Jim Breton	1912 - 1912	08-25-1913
Carl Vandagrift	1905 - 1907	05-19-1914
Fred Brainerd	1911 - 1914	10-06-1914
Red Gunkel	1914 - 1916	06-18-1916
Jack Bradley	1914 - 1916	06-18-1916
Frank Smykal	1908 - 1914	08-30-1916
Johnny O'Connor	1911 - 1912	09-16-1916
George Halas	1914 - 1916	05-06-1919
Harry McCurdy	1920 - 1922	07-04-1922
Dick Reichle	1920 - 1920 & 1922 - 1922	09-19-1922
Otto Vogel	1921 - 1923	06-05-1923
John Happenny	1923 - 1923	07-02-1923
Ollie Voigt	1918 - 1919	04-19-1924
Bob Barnes	1921 - 1922	07-08-1924
Lee Dunham	1921 - 1921	04-17-1926
Wally Roettger	1922 - 1924	05-01-1927
Dick Barrett	1924 - 1925	06-27-1933
Fred Frink	1932 - 1934	07-01-1934
Paul Chervinko	1931 - 1933	05-30-1937
Lou Boudreau	1937 - 1937	09-09-1938
Moe Franklin	1935 - 1937	08-12-1941
Hoot Evers	1939 - 1939	09-16-1941
Ray Poat	1937 - 1937	04-15-1942
Boyd Bartley	1941 - 1943	05-30-1943
Jack Franklin	1938 - 1942	06-12-1944
Joe Astroth	1939 - 1940, 42	08-13-1945
Lou Possehl	1944 - 1944	08-25-1946
Howie Judson	1944 - 1945	04-22-1948
Marv Rotblatt	1945 - 1948	07-04-1948
Dick Weik	1946 - 1946	09-08-1948
Rube Novotney	1943 - 1943	04-29-1949
Don Lenhardt	1941 - 1946	04-18-1950
Walt Linden	1943 - 1949	04-30-1950
Jack Brittin	1943 - 1943 & 1947 - 1947	09-15-1950
Jake Thies	1945 - 1949	04-24-1954
Dick Hyde	1947 - 1948	04-23-1955
Herb Plews	1948 - 1950	04-18-1956
Em Lindbeck	1955 - 1956	04-22-1960
Gary Kolb	1960 - 1960	09-07-1960
Tom Haller	1957 - 1957	04-11-1961
Bob Burda	1957 - 1957	08-25-1962
Ethan Blackaby	1960 - 1960	09-06-1962
Tom Fletcher	1962 - 1962	09-12-1962
Bobby Klaus	1957 - 1959	04-21-1964
Ed Spiezio	1960 - 1961	07-23-1964
Jim Hicks	1959 - 1959	10-02-1964
Ken Holtzman^{(Chicago, Illinois)}	1965 - 1965	09-04-1965
John Felske	1961 - 1962	07-26-1968
Jeff Innis	1981 - 1983	05-16-1987
Donn Pall	1983 - 1985	08-01-1988
Darrin Fletcher	1985 - 1987	09-10-1989
Terry Wells	1983 - 1985	07-03-1990
Mark Dalesandro	1987 - 1990	06-06-1994
John Ericks	1986 - 1988	06-24-1995
Sean Mulligan	1989 - 1991	09-01-1996
Scott Spiezio	1991 - 1993	09-14-1996
Larry Sutton	1989 - 1992	08-17-1997
Jason Anderson	1999 - 2000	03-31-2003
Jimmy Journell	1998 - 1999	06-29-2003
Chris Basak	1999 - 2000	06-09-2007
Name [Click for M.L. Stats]	Dates Played	Debut / Box
University of Illinois M.L.B. Player Alumnus

The University of Illinois baseball program started in 1879 and Carl Lundgren was their first player to make it to the Major League level.

The University of Illinois baseball team played from 1879 through 1881, stopped, then resumed play in 1883 and have not stopped since — talk about tradition.

Did you know that there are seventy former Illinois players who made it to the show? Send corrections or updates to Baseball Almanac.

Copyright © 2000-2008. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Design by Geisler Young. Hosted by Hosting 4 Less.
Part of the Baseball Almanac family: 755 Home Runs | Baseball Box Scores | Baseball Fever | Today in Baseball History.