Beverly "Red" Ferrell
Ballplayers Wounded in Combat
| Date and Place of Birth: | July 22, 1915 Durham, NC |
| Date and Place of Death: | December 22, 1998 Charlottesville, VA |
| Baseball Experience: | Minor League |
| Position: | Outfield |
| Rank: | Sergeant |
| Military Unit: | US Army |
| Area Served: | European Theater of Operations |
Beverly G. "Red" Ferrell was born on July 22, 1915, in Durham, North
Carolina. He was a first cousin of Wes and Rick Ferrell, who both
enjoyed big league careers that spanned the 1920s, '30s and '40s. In
all, nine members of the Ferrell family had careers in professional
baseball.
A right-handed hitting outfielder, Ferrell was an athletic star at
Durham High School, before attending Hargrave Military Academy in
Chatham, Virginia, where he received a medal for best all-round athlete
and was all-southern scholastic football star in 1932 and 1933.
Aged 18, Ferrell began his professional baseball career with the
Baltimore Orioles of the Class AA International League. Appearing in
just two games, he was assigned to the Johnstown Johnnies of the Class C
Middle-Atlantic League, playing just three games before moving on to the
Hartford Senators of the Class B Northeastern League, where he played 31
games and batted .259.
In 1935, Ferrell joined the Class D Georgia-Florida League's Thomasville
Orioles. Batting third in the line-up and playing centerfield, Ferrell
had an outstanding season, leading the team in runs (83), doubles (29)
and homeruns (11). He hit .300 in 115 games and was placed on the first
annual all-star team of the Georgia-Florida League, in August.
Ferrell was back with Thomasville in 1936, and batted .338 in 112 games,
with 31 stolen bases, 14 home runs and 77 RBIs. He hit the longest home
run ever seen at Thomasville, clearing the 399-foot left field fence and
traveling a total distance of 450 feet from home plate. Ferrell's
outstanding play caught the eye of Washington Senators' owner Clark
Griffith, and he was drafted by the American League club in September.
Ferrell joined the Washington Senators for spring training at Orlando,
Florida, in 1937, preparing for the coming season alongside cousins Rick
and Wes, and competing for an outfield position against Mel Almada, John
Stone and Fred Sington. Ferrell was cut in early April and assigned to
the Charlotte Hornets of the Class B Piedmont League, where he played
143 games and batted .275, with 15 home runs and 94 RBIs. Back with
Charlotte in 1938, Ferrell batted .300 over 139 games and hit 14 home
runs with 92 RBIs. In 1939, his third season with the Hornets, Ferrell
batted .299 over 133 games, contributing 17 home runs and 88 RBIs.
Ferrell was on the move in 1940, joining the Greenville Spinners, the
Senators affiliate in the Class B South Atlantic League, where he played
143 games, batted .278, and hit 21 home runs with 103 RBIs. He was back
with Greenville in 1941, and played 63 games, batting .271 before
joining the Springfield Nationals of the Class A Eastern League for 31
games, where his batting average plummeted to .204.
On December 4, 1941, Ferrell was acquired from Springfield by the Class
A-1 Southern Association's Atlanta Crackers, and was expected to be
optioned to the Class B South Atlantic League's Savannah Indians.
However, one week later, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. American
was at war and Beverly Ferrell didn't return to professional baseball.
Ferrell entered military service at Camp Croft, South Carolina, in April
1943. Before long, Sergeant Ferrell said goodbye to his wife, Edith, and
was shipped to Europe in preparation for the Normandy invasion.
On August 2, 1944, Ferrell was badly wounded by shrapnel in France. He
suffered injuries to his legs and was returned to the United States
aboard the US Army Hospital Ship Jarrett M. Huddleston. He was initially
sent to Stark General Hospital in Charleston, South Carolina, then
Oliver General Hospital in Augusta, Georgia, for further treatment,
before being moved to Finney General Hospital in his hometown of
Thomasville, Georgia, in November 1944.
By September 1945, Sergeant Ferrell had returned to service and was
stationed Camp Livingston, Louisiana, when Edith gave birth to their
first child, Richard.
Beverly "Red" Ferrell, ballplayer, wounded veteran and
recipient of the
Purple Heart, passed away on December 22, 1998, in Charlottesville,
Virginia. He was 83 years old.
Date Added July 28, 2016
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