Donald Eulon Kessinger was born on July 17,1942 and is an American former professional baseball player and manager.
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23 Facts About Don Kessinger
2.
Don Kessinger played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop from 1964 to 1979 for the Chicago Cubs, St Louis Cardinals and the Chicago White Sox.
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3.
Four sport All-State and All-America athlete for the Forrest City High School Mustangs, Don Kessinger graduated high school in 1960 and went on to the University of Mississippi.
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4.
Don Kessinger played for the Peoria Pacers, of the Central Illinois Collegiate League in its founding year, 1963.
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5.
Don Kessinger was signed by the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent on June 19,1964.
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6.
Don Kessinger was assigned to play for the Double-A Fort Worth Cats before making his major league debut on September 7,1964.
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7.
Don Kessinger returned to the minor leagues with the neophyte Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs for the 1965 season, but was brought back by the Cubs in June of that year and became their starting shortstop.
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8.
Don Kessinger continued to improve his fielding and in 1968, he was recognized as one of the top shortstops in the league when he was voted to be the starting shortstop for the National League in the 1968 All-Star Game.
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9.
Don Kessinger repeated as an All-Star in 1969, in a year which saw the entire Chicago Cubs infield join him on the 1969 All-Star team, with Don Kessinger and Cubs' third baseman Ron Santo in the starting line-up.
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10.
Don Kessinger led the league's shortstops in putouts, finished second in fielding percentage and led the entire National League in assists.
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11.
Don Kessinger finished in 15th place in balloting for the 1969 National League Most Valuable Player Award and won his first Gold Glove Award.
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12.
On September 9,1969, Don Kessinger was in the batters box at Shea Stadium when a black cat emerged from under the stands.
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13.
Don Kessinger led the entire league in assists for the third consecutive year and claimed his second Gold Glove Award.
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14.
Don Kessinger continued to be one of the cornerstones of the Cubs' infield, earning three more All-Star berths in 1971,1972 and 1974.
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15.
In October 1975, after 11 seasons with the Cubs, Don Kessinger was traded to the St Louis Cardinals—for pitcher Mike Garman and infielder Bobby Hrapmann.
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16.
Don Kessinger was the last remaining Cub from the 1969 season when they almost won the pennant.
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17.
Don Kessinger was managing at Comiskey Park on July 12,1979 when the infamous "Disco Demolition Night" took place, and wisely locked his players in the locker room between games, avoiding the near-riot.
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18.
Don Kessinger had 6,212 assists during his career, ranking him 14th all-time among major league shortstops.
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19.
Don Kessinger would spend six years as the Ole Miss skipper, leading the Rebels to four 30-win seasons.
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21.
Don Kessinger has honored by the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame, Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame, Wrigley Field Walk of Fame, Ole Miss Sports Hall of Fame, Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, National High School Hall of Fame and the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.
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22.
Don Kessinger was recognized as the 12th Best Athlete in the history of the Southeastern Conference in 2007 and named to the Ole Miss All-Century Basketball Team in 2008.
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23.
Don Kessinger's grandson Grae Kessinger is a minor league baseball player.
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