Jack Knott
Ballplayers Wounded in Combat
| Date and Place of Birth: | March 2, 1907 Dallas, TX |
| Date and Place of Death: | October 13, 1981 Brownwood, TX |
| Baseball Experience: | Major League |
| Position: | Pitcher |
| Rank: | First Lieutenant |
| Military Unit: | Headquarters Company, 104th Infantry Division US Army |
| Area Served: | European Theater of Operations |
John H. “Jack” Knott was born on March 2, 1907 in Dallas, Texas. He
attended Southern Methodist University before signing with the Corsicana
Oilers of the Class D Texas Association in 1926. He was with Corsicana
and the Class A Texas League's Dallas Steers in 1927, and was 13-8 with
Palestine Pals of the Class D Lone Star League in 1928. He joined the
Mission Reds of the Pacific Coast League late in 1928 and stayed with
the team for three seasons. In 1931, the 24-year-old right-hander joined
the Milwaukee Brewers of the Class AA American Association, posting an
11-9 record, which was improved to 17-12 in 1932, prompting his sale to
the St. Louis Browns.
Knott made his major league debut with the Browns on April 13, 1933,
against the Chicago White Sox. He was 1-8 for the last-placed team but
was 10-3 in 1934 as the Browns climbed to sixth place. Over the next
four years, Knott was a regular feature of the lowly Browns with
won-loss records of 10-3 in 1934, 11-8 in 1935, 9-17 in 1936 and 8-18 in
1937. Knott was traded to the White Sox in June 1938 and joined the
Philadelphia Athletics in 1941. He was 2-10 for the basement-dwelling
Athletics in 1942 before entering military service on November 24 of
that year at the age of 35.
Knott served with the Army at Camp Wolters Reception Center in Texas,
before being assigned to Camp Adair, Oregon, as an acting first sergeant
with the 104th "Timberwolf" Infantry Division. During the summer of
1943, he had plenty of opportunity to play baseball while managing the
104th Timberwolves team. Home games were played at George Waters Field,
formerly home of Salem in Western International League, and much of the
equipment they used was made available by Mrs. George Waters, owner of
the Salem club. The Timberwolves won the Oregon state semipro and
Pacific Northwest servicemen's titles that year.
In April 1944, Knott was first sergeant with Headquarters Company of the
104th Division at Camp Carson, Colorado. The division was shipped to
Europe later in the year and landed in France on September 7, 1944. The
104th's first combat experience occurred during the latter part of the
Battle of the Scheldt – an operation in northern Belgium aimed at
opening the port of Antwerp to Allied shipping. On November 6, 1944, the
104th began moving by motor convoy towards Aachen, Germany and
participated in the Battle of Hurtgen Forest.
On January 8, 1945, he received a battlefield commission, when he was
promoted to second lieutenant. Two days later, in Belgium, he was wounded and was
awarded the Purple Heart.
As the German offensive in the Ardennes wound down, the division moved
across the Roer River. On March 5, it entered Cologne after heavy
fighting, and crossed the Rhine at Honnef on March 22, 1945. Knott
earned a further promotion during this time, being made a first
lieutenant.
After liberating the Mittelbau Dora concentration camp near Nordhausen
on April 11, the division met up with the Russian Army at Pretzsch on
April 26, where they remained until the German surrender on May 7, 1945.
The 104th Infantry Division left Europe for the United States on June
27, 1945, and by July he was at home on leave with his wife in
Brownwood, Texas. On August 3, 1945, Knott, still in military service,
was at San Luis Obispo, California, where he talked of hoping to get a
coaching job or minor league manager’s job after service. He was
discharged from the Army at Fort Ord, California, on November 19, 1945.
Jack Knott was 39 years old when he returned to the Athletics in the
spring of 1946. He made three appearances for the team before being
released on May 18. He played briefly for Jersey City of the
International League before retiring from the game.
In December 1946, Knott became the Southwest scout for the Cincinnati
Reds. He was hired by Richard W. Burnett, owner of the Dallas Rebels, in
July 1948, as a personal contact man and scout. He later worked as a
baseball school instructor and minor league business manager.
Jack Knott passed away on October 13, 1981, in Brownwood, Texas. He was
74 years old and is buried at Greenleaf Cemetery in Brownwood.
Date Added December 21, 2017
Can you add more information to this biography and help make it the best online resource for this player? Contact us by email
Read Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice Through The Years - an online year-by-year account of military related deaths of ballplayers
Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice is associated with Baseball Almanac
Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice is proud to be sponsored by
