Dusty Cooke

Allen Lindsey "Dusty" Cooke (June 23, 1907 – November 21, 1987), was an American professional baseball outfielder, coach, and manager, in Major League Baseball (MLB), who played for three different big league teams, between 1930 and 1938. During his playing days, Cooke stood 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall, weighing 205 pounds (93 kg). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.

Cooke enlisted in the Navy's Aviation Cadet Training Program located on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus in 1943. Cooke was stunned that one of the first recruits he met upon his arrival in the dormitory was Ted Williams, the American League batting champion. Cooke did not complete aviation training and instead spent the war as a Navy pharmacist's mate, 3rd class. During the war, Cooke participated in the Iwo Jima where his ship was attacked for more than three hours by Kamikaze, and then several months later in the Battle of Okinawa.

Cooke was born in Swepsonville, North Carolina, June 23, 1907. Known mainly for his defensive abilities, he was a competent fourth outfielder, who was able to handle all three outfield positions. In 1930, Cooke reached the major leagues, with the New York Yankees. He spent three seasons there, before moving on, to the Boston Red Sox (1933–1936) and Cincinnati Reds (1938). Cooke’s most productive season came in 1933 with Boston, when he hit .293 and posted career-best numbers in games played (119), runs (86), doubles (35), triples (10), and runs batted in (RBI) (54). In 1935, he batted a career-high .306, in 100 games, while compiling a .400 on-base percentage (10th in the American League).

In an eight-season career, Cooke was a .280 hitter (489-for-1745), with 24 home runs, 229 RBI, 608 games, including 324 runs, 109 doubles, 28 triples, 32 stolen bases, .384 on-base percentage, .416 slugging percentage and a solid walk-to-strikeout ratio of 1.06 (290-to-276).

Leveraging the fitness conditioning training he received in the Navy, after the war Cooke became the athletic trainer for the Philadelphia Phillies, in 1946. Two years later, in 1948, he joined the Phillies' coaching staff. Cooke was a coach through June 30, 1952, including service on the 1950 "Whiz Kids" team, that won the National League pennant. He also was the Phillies' interim manager, from July 16–25, 1948, after the firing of Ben Chapman. Cooke posted a 6–6 record (.500), before handing over the reins to the team’s permanent skipper, Eddie Sawyer.

Cooke died in Raleigh, North Carolina, November 21, 1987, at age 80.