Born: September 1, 1850, in East Bridgeport, Connecticut
Died: January 8, 1919, in Bridgeport, Connecticut

ML Debut: 4/26/1872
Primary Position: Left Fielder
Bats: R   Throws: R  

Played For: Middletown Mansfields (1872), Boston Red Stockings (1873-1875), Boston Red Caps (1876-1878, 1880), Providence Grays (1879), Buffalo Bisons (1881-1884), New York Giants (1885-1889, 1891-1892, 1904), New York Players League Giants (1890), Washington Senators (1893)
Managed: Buffalo Bisons (1881-1884), Washington Senators (1893)

Bio
The owner of the National League's very first hit, Jim O'Rourke played baseball until he was past the age of 50, after which he continued in the game as a manager, umpire and minor league president. Nicknamed "Orator Jim" because of his tendency toward lengthy rhetoric, O'Rourke began his pro career in 1872 and played on six pennant-winning clubs in seven years, from 1873 to 1879. O'Rourke captured the National League batting title in 1884 by hitting .350, and in 1888 and 1889 helped New York to its first two league championships.

Quote
"O'Rourke has made a brilliant record for himself as an outfielder, being an excellent judge of a ball, a swift runner, and making the most difficult running catches with the utmost ease and certainty. As a thrower, too, he stands pre-eminent, being credited with a throw of 365 feet, the next to the longest yet accomplished by any player."
   — The Sporting Life, 1878

Did You Know... that when Jim O'Rourke took the field as catcher for the New York Giants on September 22, 1904, he set a still-unbroken record for oldest player ever to play in the National League?