Connie Graff
| Date and Place of Birth: | March 30, 1920 New Orleans, LA |
| Date and Place of Death: | July 8, 1944 La Haye du Puits, Normandy, France |
| Baseball Experience: | Minor League |
| Position: | First Base/Outfield |
| Rank: | Staff Sergeant |
| Military Unit: | Company F, 314th Infantry Regiment, 79th Infantry Division US Army |
| Area Served: | European Theater of Operations |
Conrad Graff was a hero. A hero on the ballfield and a hero on the battlefield.
Conrad W. “Connie” Graff, the son of Conrad and Izetta Graff, was a slick-fielding first baseman with the
Jesuit High School team in New Orleans, Louisiana, who withdrew from
school to cash in on his playing ability. He began his minor league
career with the Waycross Bears of the Class D Georgia-Florida League in
1939, but was released shortly afterwards. The following year he caught
on as a first baseman with the Gastonia Cardinals of the Class D Tar
Heel League, where fellow New Orleanian Lloyd DiBartolo also played.
Batting in the number two spot and utilizing his speed and power for
manager Milt Bocek, Graff hit .274 with 45 RBIs in 109 games, and had
back-to-back three-hit games in mid–August.
In 1941, he joined the Cooleemee Cards of the Class D North Carolina
State League and played much of the season in the outfield. Appearing in
all 101 games for the basement-dwelling Cards, Graff batted .308,
finished second in the league with 133 base hits and was among the
circuit leaders with 20 stolen bases. He was assigned to the Columbus
Red Birds of the Class B South Atlantic League for the 1942 season, but
military service intervened and he was inducted at Camp Livingston,
Louisiana, in June 1942.
Staff Sergeant Graff served with Company F of the 314th Infantry
Regiment, 79th Infantry Division in Europe, and was killed
in action on July 8, 1944, at La Haye du Puits, in
Normandy, France. In 1948, at the request of his family and widow,
Cecile, Conrad Graff ’s body was returned to New Orleans. Services were
held at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, and he was laid to rest at
Greenwood Cemetery. His sacrifice was recognized by hometown service
veterans who chartered a VFW post in his name: Connie W. Graff Post
7322. His widow passed away on November 14, 2002, in New Orleans.
|
Year |
Team |
League |
Class |
G |
AB |
R |
H |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
AVG |
| 1939 | Waycross | Georgia-Florida | D | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1940 | Gastonia | Tar Heel | D | 109 | 467 | 95 | 128 | 22 | 7 | 1 | 45 | .274 |
| 1941 | Cooleemee | North Carolina State | D | 101 | 432 | 74 | 133 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 29 | .308 |
Thanks to the Louisiana Division of the New Orleans Public
Library; Jane McAllister, Assistant Reference Librarian at Davie County
Public Library in Mocksville, NC; and the Amateur Athletic Foundation of
Los Angeles for help with this biography. Also Jim Biggs for
confirmation on his military unit and place of death.
Date Added January 30, 2012 Updated February 22, 2018
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