George Selkirk was born in Huntsville in 1908. In 1935, George succeeded Babe Ruth in right field for the New York Yankees. Not only did George replace him at that position, he also inherited the Babe’s coveted # 3 jersey (which was retired in 1948 when Ruth died).
For the next 8 seasons Selkirk batted over .300, five times. Twice drove home more than 100 RBI’s. Played on 5 World Series Championship teams and made the All American league All Star team twice.
He earned the nickname “Twinkletoes” for his highly distinctive style of running on the balls of his feet. He batted left and threw right handed. Selkirk played 9 years in the MBL and all of them with The Yankees, that represented 846 games.
Despite his Canadian citizenship, George joined the US Navy after his playing career was over. Upon his return from the military, he managed at the Class A and Triple A levels for the Yankees and the Milwaukee Braves. He was a Director of Player Personnel for the Kansas City Athletics and then Player Development Director for the Baltimore Orioles. In 1962, Selkirk became only the second General Manager in the history of the Washington Senators (now known as The Texas Rangers).
George ended his ball career as scout for the New York Yankees, and passed away at the age of 79 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. His successes as a player and a General Manager have earned him a place in the Canadian and Ontario Baseball Halls of Fame.
He was, arguably, the greatest Canadian-born baseball player of the first half of the 20th century