Moon Mullen

Ford Parker "Moon" Mullen (born February 9, 1917) is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball who played one year for the Philadelphia Blue Jays during the 1944 season. Listed at 5' 9", 165 lb., Mullen batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He attended the University of Oregon, where he played baseball and basketball, and was a member of the basketball team that won the first NCAA men's basketball championship.

Early life

Mullen was born in Olympia, Washington. He received the nickname "Moon" after the popular comic strip character "Moon Mullins".^[1] Mullen attended the University of Oregon, where he played baseball and basketball. He was a reserve guard on the 1938–39 Oregon Ducks men's basketball team coached by Howard Hobson, and winners of the first ever NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.^[1] On the baseball team (also coached by Hobson), played third base, catcher, and second base.^[1]

Professional career

In 1944, Mullen played 118 games for the Philadelphia Blue Jays (as the Philadelphia Phillies were briefly known), posting a .267 batting average (124-for-464) with 51 runs and 31 RBI, including nine doubles, four triples, four stolen bases, and a .315 on-base percentage without home runs.^[2] Following the 1944 season, Mullen was one of many major leaguers who saw his baseball career interrupted by a stint in the United States Army during World War II. He served several years, then attended spring training with the Phillies but did not make the team.^[1] He played several years in the minor league, then managed the 1950 Boise Pilots of the Pioneer League.^[1]

After baseball

Mullen returned to Olympia with his wife, where he coached the Olympia High School baseball team and taught high school biology and zoology for 27 years before his retirement.^[1] Mullen lives in Stanwood, Washington.^[1] At the age of 94, he is one of two surviving members of the Ducks' 1939 NCAA team (along with John H. Dick^[3]), and is one of the oldest living major league ballplayers.

See also

• 1939 Philadelphia Phillies season
• List of oldest living MLB players

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} "Living legends bring Ducks’ legacy to life". The Register-Guard. February 27, 2009. http://special.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/sports/8551087-41/story.csp. Retrieved January 7, 2010. 
2. ^ "Moon Mullen". Baseball Reference. http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/mullemo01.shtml. Retrieved January 7, 2010. 
3. ^ Meehan, Brian (2008-04-07). "When Firs stood tall". The Oregonian. http://blog.oregonlive.com/sportsupdates/2008/04/when_firs_stood_tall.html. Retrieved 2009-12-29. 

External links

• BR Bullpen
• Retrosheet
• Stone, Larry (January 29, 2011), "Washington's oldest major-leaguer looks back on a life well lived", The Seattle Times, http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/othersports/2014070364_mullen30.html 

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Name	Mullen, Moon
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Date of birth	February 9, 1917
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