Editing Chuck Connors (section)

==Sports career==

=== Minor League Baseball (1940–1952) ===
In 1940, following his departure from college, Connors played four baseball games with the Brooklyn Dodgers' minor league team, the [[Newport Dodgers]] ([[Northeast Arkansas League]]). Released, he sat out the 1941 season, then signed with the New York Yankees farm team, the [[Norfolk Tars]] ([[Piedmont League]]), where he played 72 games before enlisting in the Army at [[Fort Knox, Kentucky]], at the end of the season, on October 10, 1942.<ref name="baseball-reference.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=connor001kev|title=Chuck Connors Minor Leagues Statistics & History - Baseball-Reference.com|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref><ref name="Army recs"/>

Following his time in the Army, Connors played for the [[Newport News Dodgers]] ([[Piedmont League]]) in 1946, the [[Mobile Bears]] ([[Southern Association]]) in 1947, the [[Montreal Royals]] ([[International League]]) from 1948 through 1950, and the [[Los Angeles Angels (PCL)]] ([[Pacific Coast League]]) in 1951 and 1952.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/stats/p-a687f416|title=Chuck Connors Minor League Stats|website=Stats Crew|access-date=July 15, 2023}}</ref>

===Professional basketball (1946–1948)===
Following his [[military discharge]] in 1946, the {{height|ft=6|in=5}} Connors joined the Rochester Royals (now the [[Sacramento Kings]]) of the National Basketball League for their [[1945–46 Rochester Royals season|1945–1946]] championship season. For the 1946–1947 season he joined the newly formed [[Boston Celtics]] of the [[National Basketball Association|Basketball Association of America]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/connoch01.html|title=Chuck Connors Stats - Basketball-Reference.com|website=Basketball-Reference.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/connoch01/gamelog/1947/|title=Chuck Connors 1946-47 Game Log - Basketball-Reference.com|website=Basketball-Reference.com}}</ref> During his tenure with the Celtics in [[1946–47 Boston Celtics season|1946]], Connors became the first professional basketball player to [[Backboard shattering|break a backboard]]. He did so during pre-game practice before the Celtics' first home game of their inaugural season with a shot and not a [[slam dunk]], which is what typically breaks a backboard in modern basketball.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Football |first=Billy |title=Backboard Shattering Dunks: Changing The Game |url=https://www.barstoolsports.com/podcast/3371084/backboard-shattering-dunks-changing-the-game |access-date=May 2, 2022 |website=www.barstoolsports.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=75 Moments in Boston Celtics History |url=https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/75-moments-boston-celtics-history |access-date=May 2, 2022 |website=NBC Sports Boston |date=March 10, 2022 |language=en}}</ref> He played 53 games for Boston before leaving the team early in the 1947–48 season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/BOS/1947.html|title=1946-47 Boston Celtics Roster and Stats - Basketball-Reference.com|website=Basketball-Reference.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/connoch01/gamelog/1948|title=Chuck Connors 1947–48 Game Log - Basketball-Reference.com|website=Basketball-Reference.com}}</ref>

Connors is one of 13 athletes to have played in both the [[National Basketball Association]] and [[Major League Baseball]]. The 12 others: [[Danny Ainge]],  [[Frank Baumholtz]], [[Hank Biasatti]], [[Gene Conley]], [[Dave DeBusschere]], [[Dick Groat]], [[Steve Hamilton (sportsman, born 1934)|Steve Hamilton]], [[Mark Hendrickson]], [[Cotton Nash]], [[Ron Reed]], [[Dick Ricketts]], and [[Howie Schultz]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/legendary/baseball_and_basketball_players.shtml|title = Baseball (MLB) and Basketball (NBA) Players &#124; Baseball Almanac}}</ref>

Connors attended spring training in 1948 with [[Major League Baseball]]'s [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] but did not make the squad.<ref name="baseball-reference.com"/> He played two seasons for the Dodgers' AAA team, the [[Montreal Royals]], before playing one game with the Dodgers in 1949.<ref name="baseball-reference.com"/> After two more seasons with Montreal, Connors joined the [[Chicago Cubs]] in 1951, playing in 66 games as a first baseman and occasional [[pinch hitter]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/C/Pconnc101.htm|title=Chuck Connors's career page at|publisher=Retrosheet.org|access-date=November 4, 2013}}</ref> In 1952, he was sent to the minor leagues again to play for the Cubs' top farm team, the [[Los Angeles Angels (PCL)|Los Angeles Angels]].<ref name="baseball-reference.com"/>

===Sports career notes===
In 1966, Connors played an off-field role by helping to end the celebrated holdout (see [[reserve clause]]) by [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] pitchers [[Don Drysdale]] and [[Sandy Koufax]] when he acted as an intermediary during negotiations between management and the players.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Katz|first1=Jeff|title=Everybody's a Star: The Dodgers Go Hollywood|url=http://sabr.org/research/everybodys-star-dodgers-go-hollywood|website=SABR.org|publisher=Society for American Baseball Research|access-date=May 3, 2015}}</ref> Connors can be seen in the Associated Press photo with Drysdale, Koufax and Dodgers general manager [[Buzzie Bavasi]] announcing the pitchers' new contracts.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Thorp|first1=Ellen|title=Chuck Connors: American Actor/Athlete, Rifleman Star|url=http://trivia.ellenthorp.com/chuck-connors-american-actorathlete-rifleman-star/|website=When Westerns Ruled|access-date=May 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150510070713/http://trivia.ellenthorp.com/chuck-connors-american-actorathlete-rifleman-star/|archive-date=May 10, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Contrary to erroneous reports, Connors was not drafted by the [[Chicago Bears]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/fulldraft?type=team|title=NFL.com Draft 2018 - NFL Draft History: Full Draft Year|website=NFL.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/chi/draft.htm|title=Chicago Bears All-Time Draft History - Pro-Football-Reference.com|website=Pro-Football-Reference.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://drafthistory.com/teams/bears.html|title=Chicago Bears|website=drafthistory.com|access-date=June 7, 2019|archive-date=August 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180828203300/http://drafthistory.com/teams/bears.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Career statistics===
{{NBA player statistics legend}}

====BAA====
Source<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/connoch01.html|title=Chuck Connors|website=[[Basketball Reference]]|publisher=[[Sports Reference]]|accessdate=23 October 2022}}</ref>

=====Regular season=====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
|-
!Year
!Team
!GP
!FG%
!FT%
!APG
!PPG
|-
| [[1946–47 BAA season|1946–47]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1946–47 Boston Celtics season|Boston]]
|'''49'''
|.247
|.464
|'''.8'''
|'''4.6'''
|-
|[[1947–48 BAA season|1947–48]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1947–48 Boston Celtics season|Boston]]
|4
|'''.385'''
|'''.667'''
|.3
|3.0
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |Career
|53
|.252
|.471
|.8
|4.5
|}

====MLB====
{{MLB player statistics legend}}

=====Regular season=====
Source<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/connoch01.shtml|title=Chuck Connors MLB stats|website=[[Baseball Reference]]|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|accessdate=28 May 2025}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable" margin: 5px; text-align: center; style=font-size:90%
|+ '''Career offensive totals'''
|- align=center
! Year
! Team
! [[Games played|G]]
! [[Plate appearances|PA]]
! [[At bat|AB]]
! [[Run (baseball)|R]]
! [[Hit (baseball)|H]]
! [[Double (baseball)|2B]]
! [[Triple (baseball)|3B]]
! [[Home run|HR]]
! [[Runs batted in|RBI]]
! [[Stolen base|SB]]
! [[Base on balls|BB]]
! [[Strikeout|SO]]
! [[Batting average (baseball)|AVG]]
! [[On-base percentage|OBP]]
! [[Slugging percentage|SLG]]
! [[On-base plus slugging|OPS]]
! [[On-base plus slugging|OPS+]]
! [[List of Major League Baseball career total bases leaders|TB]]
! [[Double plays|GIDP]]
! [[Sacrifice hits|SH]]
|- align=center
| [[1949 Major League Baseball season|1949]]
| [[1949 Brooklyn Dodgers season|Brooklyn]]
| 1
| 1
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| .000
| .000
| .000
| .000
| -100
| 0
| '''1'''
| 0
|- align=center
|[[1951 MLB season|1951]]
|[[1951 Chicago Cubs season|Ch. Cubs]]
|'''66'''
|'''214'''
|'''201'''
|'''16'''
|'''48'''
|'''5'''
|'''1'''
|'''2'''
|'''18'''
|'''4'''
|'''12'''
|'''25'''
|'''.239'''
|'''.282'''
|'''.303'''
|'''.585'''
|'''56'''
|'''61'''
|0
|'''1'''
|- style="text-align:center;"
|colspan="2"|Career
|67
|215
|202
|16
|48
|5
|1
|2
|18
|4
|12
|25
|.238
|.280
|.302
|.582
|55
|61
|1
|1
|}

{|class="wikitable" margin: 5px; text-align: center; style=font-size:90%
|+ '''Career defensive totals'''
|- align=center
! Category
! [[Games played|G]]
! [[Games started|GS]]
! [[Complete game|CG]]
! [[Inning]]s
! [[Total chances|TC]]
! [[Putout|PO]]
! [[Assist (baseball)|A]]
! [[Error (baseball)|E]]
! [[Double play|DP]]
! [[Fielding percentage|Fld]]
! [[Range factor|RF/9]]
! RF/G
|- align=center
! [[First baseman|First base]]
| 57
| 49
| 45
| 452.1
| 493
| 452
| 33
| 8
| 41
| .984
| 9.65
| 8.51
|}