Only Two Have Appeared In Both The Final Four And The World Series

Only Two Have Appeared In Both The Final Four And The World Series

With the March Madness season in full swing, it’s interesting to go back and look at certain college basketball players who’ve gone on from NCAA and did other things. It’s fairly common to see players from the Final Four go on to the NBA and appear in the Finals. What is more interesting perhaps are the players who took the baseball route and appeared in both the final four and the World Series. This is extraordinary in nature as only two have been able to accomplish this feat.

Tim Stoddard

Pitcher Tim Stoddard was the first to appear in both. He played for North Carolina State, winning the championship with them in 1974. Stoddard was a 6-foot-7 forward both multitalented in baseball and basketball. He took the baseball route and pitched for the Baltimore Orioles. Stoddard was a large part of their Pennant winning ’79 team posting a 1.71 Earned Run Average out of the ‘pen. He would finally win a ring with Baltimore in ’83 despite not appearing in the World Series. Stoddard is the only player in history to actually win both series.

Three Opening Day Starters Emerge From One California High School

Kenny Lofton

The next player who achieved appearances in both was outfielder Kenny Lofton. The speedy leadoff man appeared in the final four with Arizona in 1988. He was a backup point guard under current Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. He went on to make two appearances in the World Series, losing both. The first was with the Cleveland Indians in 1995, and the next was with the San Francisco Giants in 2002. Lofton was definitely more basketball-driven than Stoddard, in fact, currently holding Arizona’s record for steals. He was also a threat in the paint and had epic dunking abilities. Although baseball was an afterthought, he wowed scouts with his lightning-fast speed. He rose up and became an excellent hitter in the process. He has 622 career steals and 2,428 hits.

Conclusion

Ready to be astounded even more? Both Stoddard and Lofton attended the same high school. No joke. They both grew up in the same Indiana town and attended East Chicago Washington High School.

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