Wasn't going to mention this, because he was of a generation that so few of you can relate to and associate with, but a very dear friend of mine, one of the fightingest Owls of all time, Carl N. Reynolds, Jr., '56 died last week. I owe him this mention.

Carl was a member of what, up to then, was the most successful Owl baseball team in the school's history, in '55 sweeping Texas at Clark Field, the first time ever. Carl hit a home run off a guy named Wayne Graham to win game 3, and he, at the same time was proud and got a chuckle over the fact the whenever Wayne introduced him to a group of people, large or small, he'd always say it as, "here's that Reynolds, that sum'***** who hit the home run offa me."

That was a good group of guys off that mid 50s team, Tommy Reckling among them, and they stuck together, and you can be lot of them aided Tommy's superlative efforts in getting our new stadium built, Carl among them.

Carl's dad was a famous major leaguer, Carl N. Reynolds Sr., who played for 13 years in the Bigs, mostly with a below-.500 White Sox team. Carl's dad holds the distinction of being the only guy ever to win 16 varsity letters for a school in the Southwest Conference. That team was Southwestern U. Yep, there were with us in the SWC for a time in the early days.

Carl senior was famous for being right up with Ruth and Gehrig in their heydays. In the Reynolds' ranch house, there's a great picture of Mr. Reynolds with Ruth and Gehrig on each side of him, arms all draped around each other. The year was '28, I believe. Lou hit 363, Carl hit 362, and the Babe hit 361. Only difference was, Carl did it on a team that lost 92 games.

Anybody who knows the story about Carl Reynolds, Bill Dickey, the '31 All-Star Game, and the famous meeting of the two of them with Kennesaw Mountain Landis, knows his baseball of that era.

Papa Carl used is major league earnings to buy acreage in the Colorado Valley, and did well. Carl Jr. starred at Rice, and was headed to Bigs himself, immediately landing with a triple A club in the Pacific Northwest, when his father in law to be intervened and said, "no son in law of mine is going to be a g-d baseball bum."

So Carl quit, married his T-Sip flame Rowena, and they were together for 62 wonderful years.

Last thing I was able to tell him was, 'you know, Carl, Rice fight never dies. Rice fight never dies.'

Full of piss and vinegar, Carl Reynolds was the fightingest Owl I've ever known.

RIP.

Thank you for sharing his story.

RIP.

Thanks for that, Paul.

(11-06-2019 07:18 PM)Ricefootballnet Wrote:  Wasn't going to mention this, because he was of a generation that so few of you can relate to and associate with, but a very dear friend of mine, one of the fightingest Owls of all time, Carl N. Reynolds, Jr., '56 died last week. I owe him this mention.

Carl was a member of what, up to then, was the most successful Owl baseball team in the school's history, in '55 sweeping Texas at Clark Field, the first time ever. Carl hit a home run off a guy named Wayne Graham to win game 3, and he, at the same time was proud and got a chuckle over the fact the whenever Wayne introduced him to a group of people, large or small, he'd always say it as, "here's that Reynolds, that sum'***** who hit the home run offa me."

That was a good group of guys off that mid 50s team, Tommy Reckling among them, and they stuck together, and you can be lot of them aided Tommy's superlative efforts in getting our new stadium built, Carl among them.

Carl's dad was a famous major leaguer, Carl N. Reynolds Sr., who played for 13 years in the Bigs, mostly with a below-.500 White Sox team. Carl's dad holds the distinction of being the only guy ever to win 16 varsity letters for a school in the Southwest Conference. That team was Southwestern U. Yep, there were with us in the SWC for a time in the early days.

Carl senior was famous for being right up with Ruth and Gehrig in their heydays. In the Reynolds' ranch house, there's a great picture of Mr. Reynolds with Ruth and Gehrig on each side of him, arms all draped around each other. The year was '28, I believe. Lou hit 363, Carl hit 362, and the Babe hit 361. Only difference was, Carl did it on a team that lost 92 games.

Anybody who knows the story about Carl Reynolds, Bill Dickey, the '31 All-Star Game, and the famous meeting of the two of them with Kennesaw Mountain Landis, knows his baseball of that era.

Papa Carl used is major league earnings to buy acreage in the Colorado Valley, and did well. Carl Jr. starred at Rice, and was headed to Bigs himself, immediately landing with a triple A club in the Pacific Northwest, when his father in law to be intervened and said, "no son in law of mine is going to be a g-d baseball bum."

So Carl quit, married his T-Sip flame Rowena, and they were together for 62 wonderful years.

Last thing I was able to tell him was, 'you know, Carl, Rice fight never dies. Rice fight never dies.'

Full of piss and vinegar, Carl Reynolds was the fightingest Owl I've ever known.

RIP.


Nice piece Paul.

Outstanding, thanks for sharing

This (somewhat) younger-generation alum absolutely thought this worth sharing and reading. Condolences to the Reynolds family and Carl's many friends, but thanks for the well-deserved tribute to a great Owl.

I didn't know the story but looked it up so you wouldn't have to:

https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/july-4-1...l-reynolds

https://www.baseballhistorycomesalive.co...g-his-jaw/

(11-07-2019 02:32 PM)MrMxyzptlk Wrote:  I didn't know the story but looked it up so you wouldn't have to:

https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/july-4-1...l-reynolds

https://www.baseballhistorycomesalive.co...g-his-jaw/

Here are links that will click through to the articles:

https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/july-4-1...l-reynolds

https://www.baseballhistorycomesalive.co...g-his-jaw/

... and SABR's biography of Carl Reynolds, Sr.: https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/b93b4f32

Errata....

Carl Reynolds senior dIdn’t earn all 16 of his varsity letters at Southwestern. He earned the first eight of them at Lon Morris, and the last eight of them at Southwestern. Football baseball basketball and track. Has to be some kind of record.

And the famous Carl Reynolds- Bill Dickey incident did not happen at the All-Star game, it was in a regular season game between the Yankees and the Senators.

Other than that, I think we’re pretty much historically accurate.

Thanks, Mike, for having my back…