Of the five dozen or so Wilsons who have played major league baseball, there are hall of famers and has-beens and nobodies and one precious player whose record stands forever.
There have been Wilsons named Mookie, Wilsons named Hack and Tack, Wilsons named Max, Tex, Tug, Mutt, Fin, the Mariners' fine catcher Dan, and an obscure pitcher named Highball Wilson.
Lewis Wilson was a squat slugger known as Hack, a Hall of Fame outfielder renowned for an unassailable record - 191 RBI for the 1930 Cubs. That record was approached by Lou Gehrig (184) and Hank Greenberg (183) in the 1930s but never equaled.
Our Wilson was not a Hack or even a Willie. He was a Chief.
Owen "Chief" Wilson holds one of the oldest records in sports. He hit 36 triples for the 1912 Pirates.
His record has not been approached for 90 years. The closest total was 26 triples by Joe Jackson for the 1912 Indians, the under appreciated Sam Crawford at age 34 for the 1914 Tigers and Hazen "KiKi" Cuyler for the 1925 Pirates.
Dale Mitchell, celebrated by striking out for the final out in Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series, collected 23 triples for the 1949 Indians. That total, plus 22 by George "Snuffy" Stirnweiss for the 1945 Yankees and 21 by Willie Wilson for the 1985 Royals, are the only triples totals above 20 since World War II.
And no minor leaguer has approached Chief Wilson's 36.
John Owen Wilson (1883-1954) was called "a tall, taciturn Texan" in newspaper stories. This meant he didn't say much.
When Wilson ascended to the Pirates in 1908, player-manager Fred Clarke, who played outfield next to center fielder Wilson, said "He's the chief of the Texas Rangers." The Chief name stuck, also because Wilson's high cheekbones made him look mildly native American. He was not.
What makes Chief Wilson's 1912 season so astonishing was that he was a good outfielder with a strong throwing arm and some power, but hardly a star. His career batting average was .269 with 59 home runs and 571 RBI in 1,280 games for the Pirates and Cardinals 1908-16.
Wilson collected 31 inside-the-park home runs - seventh on the alltime list. Tops for inside-the-park homers was 51 for Crawford, a sleek, powerful outfielder from Wahoo, Neb. Crawford also has the most triples of anyone - 309. He should be on a postage stamp.
What put Wilson in the record book, more than anything, was playing in Forbes Field. It was built in 1909 and named for British Gen. John Forbes, who fought in the French and Indian Wars of the 1750s and saved Fort Duquesne, site of Pittsburgh's point where the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers form the Ohio River.
Forbes Field, where there never was a no-hitter pitched in its tenure 1909-70, had dimensions that startle contemporary fans, used to cozy ballyards and a Titleist for a baseball.
Forbes Field's 12-foot wooden fence in Wilson's era stood 360 feet distant in left field, 376 in right and a heroic 462 at the deepest spot just left of center field. Wilson struck 24 of his 36 triples at Forbes Field, swatting drives like pinballs.
He collected two triples in Chicago's West Side Grounds, where the dimensions were a hilarious 340-560-316.
Twice, Wilson collected three triples in a doubleheader. He had a five-game streak of triples in every game.
Wilson registered triples against future hall of famers such as Christy Mathewson, Richard "Rube" Marquard, Mordecai "Three-Finger" Brown and Grover Alexander. He also tripled off such luminaries as Hanson Horsey, Toots Shultz and Buster Brown.
When Wilson hit one of his 11 home runs late in the 1912 season, the Pittsburgh Post noted that "Wilson attempted to triple, but tapped a pellet a trifle too hard and it floated over the right field wall."
Wilson notched his 36th triple in the last inning of his final at-bat of the season. He tried for his third inside-the-park grand slam of the year, but was thrown out at the plate and had to settle for the 36th triple of a memorable season.
During the span 1911-14, Wilson also reigned as baseball's iron man. He played in 484 consecutive games.
Wilson finished playing ball in San Antonio, then retired to his ranch near Bertram, Texas. Neighbors remember him as a man who never said much beyond howdy.
In a 1962 article written by Bob Davids in The Sporting News, former Pirates third baseman Bobby Byrne, who was Wilson's roommate, said, "He wouldn't say two words all day."
Charles "Babe" Adams, ace Pirates pitcher, had a nickname for Chief Wilson. He called him "Sphinx."
Like the Egyptian idol ruling imperiously over desert sands, Chief Wilson's record of 36 triples in one season stands mute and forever.
Also by Bart Ripp
» One-Game Wonders
» Aaron Holbert's Dream
» More submissions
Posted July 9, 2002.
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