Walt Masters
Encyclopedia
Walter Thomas Masters (born March 28, 1907 – July 10, 1992) is a former MLB
pitcher
and an American football
halfback
and quarterback
in the National Football League
.
Masters went directly from college to the majors in 1931 but barely pitched in his first season with the Washington Senators
. He went to the Youngstown Buckeyes the next year and went 11-14 for the Central League
team but his 3.12 ERA was second-best among pitchers with 10 or more decisions. He was 3-3 with a 5.49 ERA for the International League
's Albany Senators
in 1933. After two years out of Organized Baseball (during which time he coached the Canadian football
team Ottawa Rough Riders
and played in the semipro St. Lawrence League) Masters was president, manager and business manager of the Ottawa Senators in the Can-Am League
in 1936. He went 11-8 with a 4.40 ERA and played the outfield
at times, hitting .270 with 4 homers and 40 RBI. Masters (a Knute Rockne
All-American in college) played in the NFL that year as well, appearing for the Philadelphia Eagles
as a quarterback.
Masters returned to the majors for limited duty in 1937 and 1939 then went 8-10 in 1940 for the Wilmington Blue Rocks
and Portland Beavers
. Masters then returned to the NFL and played in 1942 for the Chicago Cardinals
as a punter-quarterback and in 1943 with the Card-Pitt
. Overall he did not excel in the NFL, averaging a loss of .6 yards per carry, completing under a third of his passes and throwing five times as many interceptions as touchdowns.
After six years out of Organized Baseball, Masters pitched for the Ottawa Nationals
and went 11-4 with a 3.22 ERA and won both ends of a doubleheader. Masters finished his baseball career at the age of 40 in that 1947 campaign.
After retirement, Masters did public relations work for a company in Ottawa, ON.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
and an American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
and quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
Masters went directly from college to the majors in 1931 but barely pitched in his first season with the Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
. He went to the Youngstown Buckeyes the next year and went 11-14 for the Central League
Central League
The or is one the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country,The Central League...
team but his 3.12 ERA was second-best among pitchers with 10 or more decisions. He was 3-3 with a 5.49 ERA for the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
's Albany Senators
Albany Senators (minor league baseball)
The Albany Senators was the name of an American minor league baseball franchise representing Albany, New York, that existed between 1885 and 1959...
in 1933. After two years out of Organized Baseball (during which time he coached the Canadian football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
team Ottawa Rough Riders
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...
and played in the semipro St. Lawrence League) Masters was president, manager and business manager of the Ottawa Senators in the Can-Am League
Canadian-American League
This article refers to the original incarnation of the Can-Am League, which operated between 1936 and 1951. For the modern league, see Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball...
in 1936. He went 11-8 with a 4.40 ERA and played the outfield
Outfield
The outfield is a sporting term used in cricket and baseball to refer to the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield...
at times, hitting .270 with 4 homers and 40 RBI. Masters (a Knute Rockne
Knute Rockne
Knute Kenneth Rockne was an American football player and coach. He is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history...
All-American in college) played in the NFL that year as well, appearing for the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
as a quarterback.
Masters returned to the majors for limited duty in 1937 and 1939 then went 8-10 in 1940 for the Wilmington Blue Rocks
Wilmington Blue Rocks
The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a Minor League Baseball team located in Wilmington, Delaware. The Blue Rocks play in the Northern Division of the Carolina League.-Franchise history:...
and Portland Beavers
Portland Beavers
The Tucson Padres are a minor league baseball team, representing Tucson, Arizona, in the Pacific Coast League . They are the Triple-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The team was formerly known as the Portland Beavers and played its last home game at PGE Park on September 6, 2010...
. Masters then returned to the NFL and played in 1942 for the Chicago Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
as a punter-quarterback and in 1943 with the Card-Pitt
Card-Pitt
Card-Pitt was the name for the team created by the temporary merger of two National Football League teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Chicago Cardinals, during the 1944 season. The teams were forced to merge, because both had lost many players to World War II military service...
. Overall he did not excel in the NFL, averaging a loss of .6 yards per carry, completing under a third of his passes and throwing five times as many interceptions as touchdowns.
After six years out of Organized Baseball, Masters pitched for the Ottawa Nationals
Ottawa Nationals
The Ottawa Nationals were a professional men's ice hockey team based out of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada that played in the World Hockey Association during the 1972–73 WHA season....
and went 11-4 with a 3.22 ERA and won both ends of a doubleheader. Masters finished his baseball career at the age of 40 in that 1947 campaign.
After retirement, Masters did public relations work for a company in Ottawa, ON.