Sports
The history of Tom McBride - former Bonham baseball player
By John W. Duncan
Nov 19, 2007

Thomas Ray or Raymond “Tom” McBride (his death notice shows his middle name being Ray, but his baseball stat records show it as Raymond) was born Monday November 2nd, 1914 near Randolph, Texas the son of Elmer Elec and Era Josephine (Blanton) McBride. He was born on the farm of his grandfather, Menean Thomas Blanton, whom the Blanton Chapel Church in Fannin County is named in his family’s honor.

When he was three years old his grandmother Blanton died and Mr. Blanton sold the farm and they all moved to a larger farm Mr. Blanton purchased in northern Fannin County. About two years later the McBride family moved out of Mr. Blanton’s home to a farm they leased from Tom’s uncle, Tom Doly, near Ivanhoe, Fannin County, Texas.

In 1921 the family moved to Wolfe City, Hunt County, Texas where Tom’s dad begin working at the Kimbell Flour Mill and Tom begin attending Wolfe City Public School. Tom liked sports, especially baseball where he lettered all four years while playing outfield in baseball and he also played basketball, football and track. His dad had played in the minor and semi-pro leagues. When Tom graduated from the 7th grade into high school his grades were the highest in the upper three in the class.  

When he graduated in 1933 as an Honor Student and Salutatorian he begin working at Dooley’s Drug Store in Wolfe City when one day Mr. Poly Bradford, the Manager of The Bonham Baseball Team, a member of the Red River Valley League, a semi-pro league, came in and asked Mr. Dooley if he knew any Wolfe City boys that would like to try out with the Bonham team. He gave him the names of Tom, Harold Webb, Johnny Clark and Tritt Caldwell. Mr. Bradford contacted all of the boys and invited them to play in a game on July 4th, 1933. They all played the reminder of the season with Bonham. Other teams in the league were Leonard, Van Alstyne, McKinney, Pink Hill, Gunter, Sherman and Anna.  

In September 1933 the McBride family moved to Sherman, Texas due to Mr. McBride and various other families being transferred to the Sherman Kimbell Mill by the company. In the fall, Tom was offered a scholarship to Austin College to play football. He refused the scholarship and continued working and in 1934 returned to play with the Bonham Baseball Team.

Then in the fall he accepted the Austin College scholarship and begin playing freshman football. In early 1935 a new baseball team, Tom Bean Cats, was formed at Tom Bean, Texas replacing the Pink Hill Team in the Red River Valley League and Tom was asked to play for them. He had always played outfield, but they wanted him to play shortstop. They had a very good winning season and Roy Largent, a Scout for the Chicago White Sox offered him a contract various times, but he refused it to continue his college education.

In Mid-February of 1936 Mr. Largent offered Tom a contract to the Minor League with a $1500 signing bonus, but he asked for another $1500 bonus if he hit.300 in the first season and they agreed. So in 1936 Tom signed his first Major League contract in Longview, Texas where he began playing on March 1st with the Chicago White Sox Farm Team in Longview. After two weeks he became the teams centerfielder and batted in the 3rd spot and was asked to shorten his name from Thomas Ray or Raymond to Tom so it would fit in the box score and easier for the sport writers and would be easier to sign autographs. 

The week before opening of the season, Tom returned to Sherman and proposed to Evelyn Francis Phares and they were married in Dr. Ellis’ study in the First Baptist Church on Friday, April 17th, 1936. Tom had to be back in Longview by 1 P.M. on Sunday the 19th for a double header. 

The teams in the East Texas Minor League were Tyler, Gladewater, Kilgore, Marshall, Henderson, Palestine, Jacksonville and Longview. That season Tom had a very good rookie season with 188 base hits with 52 of them being doubles, 21 triples and 8 home runs of which 6 were inside the park. He led the league with triples, 23 outfields assists, hit .312 and won the additional $1500 bonus. 

In 1937 he signed a new contract to be shortstop with the Chicago White Sox to report to Pasadena, California on February 27th, for spring training at Brookside Park, across the street from the Rose Bowl. Manager Jimmy Dykes had him to try out for second base, but Tom told him after a few weeks he felt out of place, so he was made shortstop again. After playing a game in Dallas, Texas the White Sox optioning him to Dallas for the reminder of 1937 and advised him if he had a good year he would be assigned to the Major League in 1938. But after an injury and missing 8 weeks during the season he was again optioned to Jackson, Mississippi of the Class “B” Southeastern League. There were probably other minor league teams he played with prior to being signed into the Major League. During his minor league career he batted a .316 average. 

In 1943 at the age of 28 he was signed with the Boston Red Sox and the first game was on April 23rd.  He played in 26 games as a rookie. Then in 1944 he played in 71 games, in 1945 in 100 games, 1946 in 61 games, and in 1947 56 games when he was traded to the Washington Senators for the reminder of the season (note: the Washington Senators later moved to Texas and became the Texas Rangers), then in 1948 his final year he played in 92 games.  His final game was September 30th, 1948. 

Tom batted and threw right-handed. He was 6 foot tall with an average weight of 190 pounds. His Major league batting average over the years was .287, He only hit one grand slam in his career and that was in 1948. 

Tom played in the World Series in 1946 with the Boston Red Sox against the Saint Louis Cardinals. In Game one Saint Louis was leading in the ninth inning 2 to 1 when Tom came up to bat with a runner on second base and he hit a curve ball between third and the shortstop and tied the game. The Red Sox went on to win 3 to 2 in the 10th inning but lost the series in the 7th game. In game one of the series Tom set a Guinness Book of World Record to be the only player on record to have the first and last out in a World Series Game, which may still stand today. His contract was sold twice for $100,000.00, which was very good during the 1940’s. He still holds the record for the most putouts by an outfielder with 12 in a nine-inning game.  

He was tied with several other players that held the record, until 2001, for the most RBIs in an inning.  

On April 1st, 1950 the McBride family moved to Sinton, Texas where he played baseball on the Plymouth Oilers Team and he taught Sunday School at the First Baptist Church for many years, then on August 18th, 1969 they moved to Wichita Falls where he sang in the First Baptist Church Choir from 1979 until 1982. He was the assistant baseball coach at Midwestern State University under Dr. Mark Benedetto. He also worked for District Attorney Barry Macha from 1988 until 1990.  

After his Major League days ended he refereed football for high school and college until 1974 ending with the Wichita Fall High vs. Rider’s game. 

On November the 9th, 1996, Tom was inducted into the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame in Bonham, Texas. 

Tom died at the age of 87 years on Wednesday, December 26th, 2001 in the Grace Care Center in Wichita Falls, Texas. His services were at 2 P.M. on Monday December 31st, at Colonial Baptist Church in Wichita Falls with Dr. Landrum P. Leavell officiating with private burial in Cedarlawn Memorial Park in Sherman, Texas on Wednesday January 2nd, 2002. He was survived by his wife of 65 years, son Michael Thomas “Mike” McBride, daughters Patricia Jane (McBride) Cowan and Sarah Francis (McBride) Huddleston and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

Tom was the grandson of Marion T. and Josephine N. Argenia (Mathis or Mathews) Blanton and the great-grandson of Rev. Benjamin F. and Sarah L. (Boone) Blanton of the Blanton’s Chapel Community in Fannin County, Texas.  

Compiler note: I worked for almost 27 years with Tom Blanton the Traffic Manager at Lone Star Steel Company which probably was Tom McBride’s 1st or 2nd cousin. Tom Blanton had told me about his grandparents being from the Blanton Chapel Community near our farm many years earlier. Tom retired a few years earlier than I did and moved to east Texas. In the early 1990’s he gave us about a dozen geese and one duck to be on our farm, but I can’t remember what town I went to get the geese and duck and I’ve not seen or heard from him since. 

Compiled by John W. Duncan

Do you have any corrections or additions to this history? Contact me at: John W. Duncan P. O. Box 774 Bonham, Texas 75418 or E-Mail johnwdfarm@yahoo.com