(Jan. 26, 1902 – Jun. 18, 1977) John Frederick played for the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League for six seasons before making his connection to the state of Oregon with the Portland Beavers. Frederick, born in Colorado, began his professional baseball career in 1921 at age 19, playing in Canada. He entered the PCL..Read More
(Feb. 18, 1915 – Apr. 14, 1978) Joe Gordon, who grew up at Portland’s Jefferson High and had a standout baseball career at the University of Oregon, and a Hall of Fame career during 11 seasons as a second baseman with New York and Cleveland of the American League. Gordon played baseball, football, ran track..Read More
(Jul. 16, 1920 – Oct. 10, 2009) Born in Verboort in 1920, Larry Jansen made his mark as a baseball player at both the major and minor league levels, including three seasons with the Portland Beavers. Jansen graduated from Verboort High in 1938 and entered pro baseball with the Salt Lake City Bees in 1940…Read More
Born in Portland (Dec. 31, 1900 – Feb. 20, 1985), Sylvester “Syl” Johnson played his way into the professional ranks as a right-handed pitcher at age 19 and didn’t stop until age 46, a span that included 19 seasons in the Major Leagues. Johnson started his pro career with the Vancouver, B.C. Beavers of the..Read More
(Aug. 27, 1911 – Oct. 25, 1994) Roy Helser made a name for himself as a long-time pitcher for the Portland Beavers, then as a coach at Linfield College, where he led the Wildcats to a national championship. Helser graduated from Portland’s Benson High, but didn’t play baseball at the school, and didn’t begin attending..Read More