Fox, "Nellie" (Jacob Nelson)
Baseball
b. Dec. 25, 1927, St. Thomas, PA
d. Dec. 1, 1975
Only 5-foot-9 and 150 pounds, Fox was a left-handed hitting second baseman who could hit and field. His trademark was an enormous chaw of tobacco that always thrust out one of his cheeks. Some said the tobacco was bigger than he.
Fox played just 10 games for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1947 and 1948 and spent half of the 1949 season with Philadelphia before being traded to the Chicago White Sox of the AL in 1950.
He was named the league's most valuable player in 1959, when the White Sox won the pennant. Fox batted .306 that season, one of six times he hit better than .300, and he led AL second baseman in fielding percentage.
Fox led the league in hits four times, with 192 in 1952, 201 in 1954, 196 in 1957, and 1987 in 1958, and he was the triples leader with 10 in 1960. He was the league's best fielding second baseman six times.
In 1964, Fox was traded to the NL's Houston Astros. He retired after playing just 21 games for them in 1965.