Eddie Bennett

AKA:

Baseballs Most Famous Mascot

Birth Name:

Edward Bennett

Birth Date:

1904

Birth Place:

Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York

Death Date:

01/16/1935

Place of Death:

115 W. 84th Street, Manhattan, New York

Age:

Cause of Death:

Alcoholism

Cemetery Name:

St. John Cemetery

Claim to Fame:

Sports

Eddie Bennett was an American batboy and mascot for several teams, most notably the New York Yankees during the 1920s and 1930s. At the time of his death, Bennett was considered to be the "most famous mascot in the world". Bennet had a spinal injury when he was very young which resulted in a hunchback. He was considered to be a "good luck charm" by the members of the club, and became a well-known celebrity in New York. On May 19, 1932, Bennett was hit by a taxi on a New York City street. He suffered a broken leg and other injuries from which he never recovered. To find relief from the pain he suffered from the injuries, Bennett started to abuse alcohol. He was forced to retire as the Yankees mascot in the middle of 1933 season, although Ruppert insisted he remain on the payroll all year. The New York Times reported that the "notoriously superstitious" ballplayers and fans blamed Bennett's absence on the Yankees' failure to win the pennant in 1933 and 1934. In January 1935, Bennett died penniless due to alcoholism.

Fun Fact

When Eddie Bennett died penniless in a rooming house in Manhattan, New York not a single member of the Yankee organization attended his funeral.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

St. John Cemetery

80-01 Metropolitan Avenue

Middle Village, New York, 11379

USA

North America

Map:

Grave Location:

Section 34, Row DD, Grave 64

Grave Location Description

After entering the cemetery’s east entrance, take the first gate on your left to head southwest. Head along this road for about 0.3 miles. Edward’s Bennett nameplate will be located in the grassy section on your left. His grave is near the road, and about 50 feet southeast of the intersection between Sections 34, 40, and 42.

Grave Location GPS

40.710599, -73.867760

Photos:

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FAQ's

Eddie Bennett was born on 1904.

Eddie Bennett was born in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York.

Eddie Bennett died on 01/16/1935.

Eddie Bennett died in 115 W. 84th Street, Manhattan, New York.

Eddie Bennett was 31.

The cause of death was Alcoholism.

Eddie Bennett's grave is in St. John Cemetery

Videos Featuring Eddie Bennett:

How Did the Practice of Having Sports Mascots Start?

The 1919 World Series Fix that Tarnished America's Pastime

100 years since 'Black Sox' World Series, new details challenge long-held story

1919 World Series

Babe Ruth - The Called Shot

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Catfish Hunter

popular name: Catfish Hunter

date_of_death: September 9, 1999

age: 53

cause_of_death: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease)

claim_to_fame: Sports

best_know_for: Jim "Catfish" Hunter, whose pitching prowess earned him five World Series rings, 224 victories, a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame and made him the game's first big-money free agent. Recruited right out of high school at age 18, Hunter won his first major-league game, and a year after that, at 20, he made the American League All-Star team in a season in which he finished 9-11. He reached 20 wins for the first time in 1971 with a 21-11 record and won at least 20 games the next four seasons. In 1974, he was 25-12 and won the Cy Young Award. In 1968, he pitched a perfect game against the Minnesota Twins, the seventh perfect game in modern baseball history at the time. And the Athletics, by then in Oakland, dominated baseball in the early '70s with the likes of Hunter, Reggie Jackson, Sal Bando, Gene Tenace, Rollie Fingers and a group that played hard, on and off the field. "We were the long-haired, mustached gang from Oakland," Hunter said. "We were lucky just to be there, was what they said." After the Oakland A's, Hunter signed with the New York Yankees not because they offered the most money, but rather it was close to his home in North Carolina. Hunter's first season with the Yankees was his last of five consecutive 20-win years. He was 23-14 for the 1975 Yankees and pitched for them until 1979, when he retired at 33, with a 224-166 record and a 3.26 ERA. He was on World Series-winning teams with Oakland in 1972-74 and New York in 1977-78. At age 52 he was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) and passed away the following year. He was laid to rest at Cedarwood Cemetery in Hertford, North Carolina.

Eddie Bennett