HIGH SCHOOL AWARD TO BE NAMED AFTER BIRMINGHAM LEGEND ADWELL
The Figment Sporting Journal's National High School Player of the Year Trophy now officially has a name after it was announced it will be known as the Adwell Award. The award, first presented a year ago following the 1934 school season, will be named after Red Adwell. Adwell was the winningest pitcher in high school history under the old feeder league system, pitching for Birmingham High School from 1910 thru 1913 before going on to spend a decade in FABL with the Pittsburgh Miners, Chicago Chiefs and Philadelphia Keystones.
"Red Adwell was one of the greatest high school players of all-time and displayed both the skill and character that is the embodiment of what this award stands for," explained Figment Sporting Journal publisher Charles C. Clay in a media release.
Adwell led Birmingham High to a National High School title as a sophomore in 1911 and his 30 career regular season wins are the most ever recorded by pitcher. That record set during the feeder league era will likely be surpassed at some point in the future with the new high school rules but no other high school pitcher won more than 26 career games in the feeder environment, although Rufus Barrell II recently completed his high school career with 29* wins. However, only Barrell's first season was during the feeder league system. Adwell, who also spent two seasons in the minor leagues pitching in Birmingham, was a charter member of that city's Sports Hall of Fame established in 1931.
Following his school days Adwell was selected 8th overall by the Pittsburgh Miners in the 1913 FABL draft. Turning down numerous college offers, Adwell turned pro and would make his major league debut at the age of 25 with the Miners. Traded to the Chicago Chiefs midway through his rookie FABL season, the best days of Adwell's decade long big league career came in Chicago highlighted by a 21 win season in 1924. Ironically his best season in the Windy City would also be his last as Adwell was dealt to the Philadelphia Keystones just prior to opening day 1925 and he would finish out his career with the Keystones including a 15-12 1927 campaign that saw his club win the World Championship Series, although Adwell did not pitch in the Series.
Demoted to the minors in 1930 at the age 35, Adwell would retire at the end of that season. He finished with a lifetime FABL record of 134-128 and has recently embarked on the second phase of his baseball career joining the Keystones organization in a coaching capacity as the pitching instructor for their Class C affiliate Beaumont Buffaloes.
The 1935 winner of the Adwell Award will be announced later this week. The inaugural winner last season was sophomore first baseman Walt Messer of McKinley Tech in Washington DC.
*- Note- 1932 feeder league stats are lost to history for many players. It is quite likely Barrell won games that season which would have allowed him to surpass Adwell, although the vast majority of Barrell's wins came after the feeder system was disbanded.
BARRELL, MESSER HIGHLIGHT 1935 PREP ALL-AMERICAN TEAM
Seven repeat selections including 1934 National High School Player of the Year Walt Messer headline the 1935 Figment Sporting Journal High School All-American Team. Messer, who just completed his junior season at Washington DC's McKinley Tech, failed to win the high school triple crown as he did a year ago but he did lead the nation once again in batting, hitting at a .604 clip with 10 homers and 39 rbi's in 21 games. Messer is joined on the team by Rufus Barrell II, a lefthander from Macon, Georgia who has compiled a 29-3 record over 3 seasons of high school ball including 11-0 this year - his second straight season without a loss. Barrell is tabbed as a potential first overall selection in the December FABL draft.
Other players making their second straight appearance on this the second annual High School All-American list include Suffolk, Virginia catcher Bill Van Ness (.516,3,28), infielders Chuck Adams (.571,12,50) of Memphis High School and Jim Lightbody(.517,1,28) from Alexandria, Louisiana, outfielder Si Crocker (.456,10,36) from East High School in Buffalo, New York and pitcher Wally Doyle (11-0, 0.98), a junior out of Waco, Texas.
Here is the complete list of the 1935 All-American team.