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Charles Gilbert King / Detroit Tigers / Outfield
Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 6'2" Weight: 190
Born: November 10, 1930, Paris, TN
Signed: Signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent before 1951 season
As a Player: Detroit Tigers 1954-56; Chicago cubs 1958-59; St. Louis Cardinals 1959
Died: July 9, 2012, Paris, TN (81)
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Chick King earned his nickname as the youngest of seven brothers while growing up in Paris, Tennessee. A high school and college football standout, King left Memphis State College, and his football team, when he signed with the Tigers in 1951. He'd get promoted to the majors in August 1954 following injuries to Tigers' outfielders Bill Tuttle (#35) and Al Kaline (#23). King appeared sparingly with the Tigers over three seasons, playing in 11, seven and six games in 1954, 1955 and 1956. He'd spend all of 1957 in the Braves' minor league system. King would cameo in the majors in 1958 with the Cubs, playing in eight games, and then in 1959 with the Cubs and Cardinals, playing in a combined 12 games. In 44 big league games, King batted .237 (18 for 76) with a triple and five RBIs. He'd play in the minor leagues through the 1961 season before retiring from baseball.
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| 1959 Topps #538 |
King was a September call-up, and of his seven games played, he started four games in left field. He batted .238 (5 for 21). In 143 games with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, King batted .295 with nine home runs, 35 RBIs and 14 stolen bases.
Building the Set / Card #9
Summer of 1983 or 1984 in Millville, NJ / Original 17 from the Magic Box
Last fully retold with the Al Dark (#2) post, this King card was one of the 17 cards from the 1955 Bowman set contained within the Magic Box.
King appears on two mainstream baseball cards from two of my favorite sets - 1955 Bowman and 1959 Topps. The back of the card recounts King's "Most Exciting Game in Which I've Played," a minor league contest from 1954 that ended in an 8-8 tie after Buffalo's first baseman dropped a pop-up that would have given Buffalo the win. The Cuban opponent would have been the Havana Sugar Kings. Buffalo used three first baseman in 1954 - Dick Gernert, Harvey Zernia and Jack Wallaesa - so the culprit was one of those three players.
First Mainstream Card: 1955 Bowman #133
Bowman Set Appearances (1): 1955
Topps Set Apperances (1): 1959
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2008 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-CK2
Total Cards Listed in TCDB and Top Collector as of 2/27/26: 5 total, multiple collectors have 2
Sources
#132 Harvey Kuenn - Detroit Tigers (Correct) / #134 Bob Feller - Cleveland Indians
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