page_title: Riggs Stephenson
section_title: Early years
hierarchical_section_title: Riggs Stephenson / Early years
caption_attribution_description: English: Photo from 1920 of the Georgia Bulldogs vs. the Alabama Crimson Tide. Artie Pew is attempting to tackle Riggs Stephenson. Behind Pew is Puss Whelchel.
context_page_description: Jackson Riggs "Warhorse" Stephenson was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball. Nicknamed Old Hoss, Stephenson played for the Cleveland Indians from 1921 to 1925 and the rest of his career from 1926 to 1934 with the Chicago Cubs. Benefiting from the offensive surge of the late 1920s and early 1930s, he retired with a career batting average of .336, although he was only a full-time player from 1927 to 1929 and in 1932, with injuries and platooning limiting his role for the rest of his career.
context_section_description: Born in Akron, Alabama, Stephenson originally played baseball and football at the University of Alabama before he started his professional baseball career. A natural athlete who excelled in both sports, Stephenson had a good reputation at the university. Former University of Alabama president George H. Denny described Riggs as "the embodiment of cleanliness, manliness, and courage." He was an All-Southern fullback in 1919 and 1920. He was nominated though not selected for an Associated Press All-Time Southeast 1869–1919 era team. Stephenson sustained a shoulder injury in a football game in 1920 when he dropped back and was tackled by a pair of linebackers. His injury to his right shoulder was so bad that he had to end his football career as a quarterback, and as a result it greatly affected his throwing abilities. His throwing problems made it difficult for him to turn double plays, but his hitting compensated for those fielding woes. Stephenson quit school at Alabama and immediately made the jump to professional baseball, where he signed with the defending World Series champions Cleveland Indians at the age of 23. Riggs was one of those guys who went straight from college to the big leagues.
caption: Artie Pew is attempting to tackle Stephenson. Behind Pew is Puss Whelchel.
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