page_title: Frank Sexton (baseball)
section_title: Harvard
hierarchical_section_title: Frank Sexton (baseball) / Baseball coach / Harvard
caption_attribution_description: English: Baseball training device used by Frank Sexton at Harvard
context_page_description: Frank Joseph Sexton was a baseball player and coach. He played college baseball for Brown University from 1890 to 1893 and for the University of Michigan in 1894. He also played professional baseball from 1890 to 1897, including one season in Major League Baseball as a pitcher for the Boston Beaneaters. He later coached college baseball at the University of Michigan, Brown University and Harvard University. He also maintained a medical practice at Brookline, Massachusetts for many years.
context_section_description: In December 1910, Sexton was hired as the baseball coach at Harvard University.  He was the school's first paid, professional baseball coach.  Upon his arrival, Sexton promptly instituted a new training regimen, requiring the pitchers and catchers to do daily work on the gymnasium apparatus for a month before regular practice began.  Sexton told the press that the work would get their arms in shape "to avoid strains and other hurts when they begin throwing the ball around."  In early March 1911, Sexton signed a two-year contract agreeing to coach the Harvard baseball team through the 1912 season.
  In Sexton's first year at Harvard, the baseball team had its best record since 1901, winning 17 games and losing 6.  Sexton coached at Harvard for five years from 1911 to 1915.  While coaching at Harvard, Sexton drew attention for his innovative training techniques.  In addition to his requiring the battery candidates to work on the gymnasium apparatus, he instituted a rigorous program of fall practice for the baseball team.  Sexton told the press "there will be no let-up until they are driven to shelter by the cold weather."  In 1915, a publication known as The World's Advance profiled a new target device used by Sexton in the training of Harvard's pitching staff.
  While Sexton was at Harvard, the baseball team played an annual game against the Boston Red Sox.  Although the Harvard team lost the game each year during Sexton's tenure, the scores were relatively close: 4–1 in 1910, 4–2 in 1911, 2–0 in 1912 and 5–0 in 1913.
  In May 1915, Sexton resigned after a disagreement with the Harvard Advisory Baseball Committee. Sexton said that he resigned because of interference from the Advisory Committee with his work as coach.  The dispute followed a decision by the committee to hire two former Harvard players as assistant coaches to work with the catchers and outfielders.  In a letter published by The Boston Evening Transcript, Sexton wrote that he did not agree to the many suggestions of the committee and concluded, "After full consideration of the matter discussed, I felt I could not retain my self-respect and esteem owing to their persistent interference and continue as coach of the Harvard University baseball team."  The Evening Transcript wrote that Sexton was "considered one of the most efficient in the country" and opined that he "has been a good coach for Harvard and has developed some excellent teams from very ordinary material."   The paper also reported that "the players and the college in general have been very much upset over the resignation of Dr. Sexton."
  Sexton filed a lawsuit against the president and fellows of Harvard in May 1916 for breach of contract, claiming that he had not been fully paid the amounts owed under his contract.  Sexton sought $2,000 in unpaid salary and claimed that the Harvard Athletic Committee had interfered with his coaching and had no right to do so.  During a jury trial in March 1917, Sexton gave a demonstration of his methods, placing a handkerchief on the floor as home plate, and explaining the position from which he wanted the catcher to throw the ball.  Sexton testified that the person who the Athletic Committee sought to impose as an assistant coach wanted to override his instruction to the catchers.  The jury ultimately returned a verdict in favor of Harvard.
caption: Testing device used by Sexton to train Harvard's pitchers
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