Jim
Campbell
Catcher for the Houston Colt
.45s (1962-1964)
(Thanks to Gary Campbell for providing
photos and scans)
"HERE COME THE COLTS!" JIM
CAMPBELL BOOKLET (1962):
Jim
Campbell
1963
Topps
Card
Color photo of Jim Campbell
August 29, 1962 AP story: Jim
Campbell wins
game for the Colts with homer off Bob Gibson
April 27, 1963 Sporting
News article: "Mad Man Campbell"
Photo from the article
June 29, 1963 Sporting News
article: "Campbell Crashes Record"
March 14, 1966 article in
Palo
Alto (CA) Times about Jim's retirement from baseball
Photos
for
this
article:
Jim
with
baseball
gear Jim with family
1962
Wirephoto of Jim Campbell, Merritt Ranew and Norm Larker
Autographed
photo
-
Jim
Campbell
Photos of Jim Campbell in a
Colt .45 game at Candlestick Park, San Francisco:
Photo
1 Photo 2
Here is Gary Campbell's story
about his search for his father Jim's Colt .45
jersey:
Aloha
Friends
and
Family,
I
wanted
to
share
this
story
with
my good friends and family. As you all know, I am
very proud of my Dad and his accomplishments playing Major
League Baseball. About 6 years ago, I received a book called 'A Six Gun
Salute: The History Of The Houston Colt .45's'. At the back of the
book there was a section of Colt .45's memorabilia, which is very
rare as the team was only around for 3 years, from 1962-1964.
To
my
surprise,
was
a
picture
of
a 1962 Colt .45's home jersey worn by catcher Jim
Campbell! There was a name at the bottom of the picture, courtesy of
Tom Sharon. This guy had my Dad's jersey! The one he wore the year I
was born! The one he was wearing when he hit a home run off of Bob
Gibson the day I was born! I had to talk to Tom Sharon.
It
took
me
2
years
and
about
50 emails to finally find Tom Sharon. When I contacted
this Man, I found out that he was a collector of Houston Sports
Memorabilia and he lives in Hockley Texas. He told me that if I could
find another 1962 Colt .45's home jersey, he might trade me for
it.
For
the
past
3
years
and
at
least 100 emails, I looked everywhere. These are
hard to find. I found 1 road jersey, but he already had one of
those. He told me that he would leave a stipulation in his
will, when he died, if his Son didn't want the jersey that
he was to offer to sell it to me. A real nice guy.
Well,
I
received
a
call
from
Tom
about 2 weeks ago. He had been contacted by
another collector from New York who wanted that jersey. He offered Tom
the world for it. Out of respect for me and my Father, Tom called me
and told me about this. I knew if the jersey went deep into a
collection in New York, I would never see it.
The
negotiation
began.
At
one
time,
Tom
accepted this collector's offer to trade
many other items for the jersey. I knew that the jersey should come
back and stay in our Family, if it was meant to be, it will happen.
Tom
called
me
at
the
beginning
of
the week to tell me that the Man started to
substitute this for that and he got a bad feeling about it. He
called the deal off. Besides, Tom always wanted me to have it,
eventually.
Last Monday,
Tom
accepted
my
offer
to
buy
the
jersey.
After
6 years of searching and
at least 150 emails to strangers, It was ours, back in the Family. My
Holy Grail!
The
story
gets
even
better.
On
Wednesday,
the day the jersey was shipped to me. I was
searching Ebay and found a 1964 Cincinnati Reds Home Jersey number 8!
Dad's Red's jersey...on Ebay. It was too strange, I bid on it with one
minute to go and bought that one too, on the day the Colt jersey was
arriving in Hawaii.
Back to the
Houston Colt .45s Page