John Weldon Wyckoff

John Weldon "Wyckie" Wyckoff was a major league baseball pitcher from 1914-1918. John, who also went by just Weldon Wyckoff, was born in 1893. He made a name for himself as a pitcher on the Bucknell University baseball team. He was picked up by the Philadelphia Athletics, before being traded to the Red Sox in 1916. With Babe Ruth and other star pitchers already on the team, Wyckoff had trouble finding his way into regular rotation. In 1918 he was released to the minor leagues, and semi-retired from baseball. Wyckoff moved to Sheboygan falls in 1929 so that he could play for the Wisconsin State Baseball League. Sadly, Wyckoff died suddenly in 1961, at the age of 69. He is buried here in the Sheboygan Falls Cemetery.

John Weldon "Wyckie" Wyckoff was born sometime in 1893. We believe his birthday was December 25th, but records differ. However, according to his daughter, Maryann Debbink, the family always celebrated his birthday on Christmas. What we do know is that Wyckoff's parents were Roland Nelson Wyckoff and Laura Beck, and he was born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. As a young adult, Wyckoff attended the nearby Bucknell University, and became a star pitcher on their baseball team. 1912, before graduation, Wyckoff signed a contract to play in the Tri-State Minor League. Within a year, he was picked up by the Philadelphia Athletics--one of the best teams in Major League Baseball at the time.

Wyckoff's best season was in 1914, when he led the Athletics in the fewest hits per innings. He was considered one of the top 10 pitchers in the majors! However, he soon became known as a wild pitcher, walking more batters than any other pitcher in the league. He would often go back and forth between redeeming himself before being taken out of the next game for being unreliable. However, even with his unpredictable pitching style, the team did well and made it to the pennant.

Unfortunately, Wyckoff's wildness persisted and in 1916 he was traded to the Red Sox. With Babe Ruth and other star pitchers already on the team, Wyckoff had difficulty making it into regular rotation. In 1917, Wyckoff's season was suddenly cut off when a piece of glass cut through his shoe and nearly severed his toe. He was sent back down to the minors and, after recovering, pitched a half-season with the Buffalo Bisons.

After recovering, Wyckoff returned to the Red Sox, and once again seemed like a promising pitcher. Unfortunately, he was released to a minor league in Minneapolis on May 23, 1918. He refused this demotion, and was ultimately black-balled from the Major League. Over the next four years he would continuously appeal for reinstatement into the league, and in 1922 he was temporarily reinstated to "clear his good name."

After leaving the Red Sox, Wyckoff continued to play for minor league teams before semi-retiring from baseball to run his father's taxi business in Williamsport. At this time, Wyckoff was married to a woman named Lena, and the two had two children, John William and Charles. However, Wyckoff and Lena's marriage ended in divorce, and he remarried to Marie Therese Toomey on May 12, 1924.

The family then moved to Battle Creek, Michigan when Wyckoff received a job working in the warehouse and office of the Post and Kellogg cereal companies. There he played for their company baseball teams and rediscovered his love for baseball. In 1929, the family moved to Sheboygan Falls so he could join the Wisconsin State Baseball League.

Once in Wisconsin, Wyckoff played for the Sheboygan Chairmakers and helped them win the league championship. His contribution to the team during that season earned him an induction into the Sheboygan County Baseball Hall of Fame! After this, Wyckoff worked as a machinist at the Kohler-Joa Company (today known as Curt G. Joa, Inc.), and as a bartender at the Franklin Hotel in Sheboygan Falls, as well as at Gartzke's and Horn's taverns.

Sadly, on May 8, 1961, Wyckoff died suddenly of a heart attack while working in his yard. He was only 69 years old. He is now buried here, in the Sheboygan Falls Cemetery.

Williams, Christopher. Weldon Wyckoff, Society for American Baseball Research. Accessed March 30th, 2024. https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/weldon-wyckoff/.

"J. Wyckoff, Ex-Athletics' Hurler, Dies." The Sheboygan Press (Sheboygan) May 18th, 1961. 12.

John Weldon Wyckoff, Find a Grave. Accessed March 30th, 2024. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/43779377/john-weldon-wyckoff.