Aristotle George "Harry" Agganis (April 20, 1929 – June 27, 1955), nicknamed "the Golden Greek", was an American college football player and professional baseball player. After passing up a potential professional football career, he played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman from 1954 to 1955 for the Boston Red Sox.
Born in Lynn, Massachusetts, to Greek immigrants Georgios Agganis and Georgia Papalimperis, Agganis first gained notice as a college football player at Boston University, becoming its first student named All-American. He passed up a professional career with the Cleveland Browns in order to play his favorite sport, baseball, close to his hometown. He signed a bonus baby contract, and after one season playing minor league baseball, he started at first base for the Red Sox.
In 1955, Agganis became gravely ill early in the season and was hospitalized for two weeks for pneumonia. He rejoined the Red Sox for a single week before being rehospitalized with a viral infection. After showing some signs of recovery, he died of a pulmonary embolism on June 27.
Early life
Aristotle George Agganis () was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, growing up with four brothers and two sisters. In December 1946, Agganis was quarterback for the Lynn Classical team that defeated Granby High School (quarterbacked by Chuck Stobbs) in the North–South Shrine Game at the Miami Orange Bowl.
College career
Agganis enrolled at Boston University, where he became a starter, primarily at quarterback. After his sophomore season in 1949, when he set a school record by passing for 15 touchdowns, he entered the Marine Corps. Agganis played for the Camp Lejeune football and baseball teams in North Carolina. He received a dependency discharge from the Marines to support his mother and returned to college to play in 1951–52. Around the same time, Agganis was participating in summer baseball leagues in Augusta, Maine.
Agganis became the school's first All-American in football and Boston coach Buff Donelli named Agganis the "greatest football player he ever coached". He also played basketball and baseball at the school.
Coach Paul Brown of the Cleveland Browns thought Agganis could be the successor to Otto Graham and drafted the college junior in the first round of the 1952 NFL draft, offering him a bonus of $25,000 . Boston Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey outbid Brown, however, and signed Agganis to play major league baseball for the Red Sox as a first baseman for $35,000 .
Death
thumb|upright=0.8|Agganis' grave in [[Pine Grove Cemetery (Lynn, Massachusetts)|Pine Grove Cemetery in Lynn.]]
In May 1955, Agganis was hospitalized for 10 days with pneumonia, severe fever, and chest pains. American League president Will Harridge said his office was "saddened and shocked", and Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey said he was "stunned", calling Agganis "a man of great character". Gaffney Street, near the former site of Braves Field in Boston, was renamed Harry Agganis Way in 1995.
Agganis Arena is a multipurpose sports facility at Boston University. The Harry Agganis Stadium located on Camp Lejeune was named in his honor.
The Agganis Foundation, founded in 1955 by Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey, the (Lynn) Daily Item, and Harold O. Zimman (a mentor of Agganis and the namesake of the Tufts Jumbos football field), has awarded more than $2.5 million in college scholarships to student-athletes who attend high school in Lynn and surrounding areas.
Actor Telly Savalas, in an episode of The Extraordinary, said he unknowingly met a ghost who said he knew a player from the Boston Red Sox, and the next day Savalas saw in the newspaper headlines that a 26-year-old player had died of mysterious circumstances.
See also
- Boston University athletics
- List of baseball players who died during their careers