Gene Conley, Former 2-Sport Pro Athlete With Hartford Connection, Dies at 86

BOSTON, MA — Gene Conley, one of the most successful two-sport pro athletes of all time who holds the distinction of being the only single-season 20-game winner in Hartford professional baseball history, passed away Tuesday night, his son announced on his Facebook page. He was 86.

Conley, a 6-foot-8, 225 lb. right-handed pitcher, posted a 20-9 record for the Hartford Chiefs of the then-Class A Eastern League in 1951. Playing home games in Bulkeley Stadium for the Boston Braves affiliate, Conley registered a miniscule 2.16 earned run average that season, and was named the league's Most Valuable Player and the Sporting New Minor League Player of the Year.

He parlayed that success into making the Braves' opening day roster in 1952. Just 21 years old, he struggled with the major league team and was sent down to the Milwaukee Brewers of the Triple-A American Association, finishing the season with an 11-4 record. When the Braves moved to Milwaukee the following season, Conley stayed with the franchise's new Triple-A affiliate in Toledo, where he won 23 games against just nine losses with a 2.90 ERA.

He made the parent team in spring training in 1954, and stayed in the majors for the next 10 years. He went 14-9 in 1954, finishing third in the National League Rookie of the Year balloting (one spot ahead of teammate Hank Aaron), and won 28 more games over the next three seasons. He was a member of the Braves team that won the 1957 World Series over the New York Yankees, getting into one game.

After a disastrous 0-6 record in 1958, "Daddy Long Arms" was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies near the end of spring training in 1959, recovering his form enough to win 12 games against seven losses. After the 1960 campaign, he was traded to the Boston Red Sox, for whom he won 29 games in three seasons.

In his 11-year career, he recorded a 91-96 record with a 3.82 ERA in 276 games, including 214 starts, and was named to the National League All-Star team three times. He was the winning pitcher in the 1955 midsummer classic.

Conley was drafted by the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association in 1952, and played in 39 games during the 1952-53 season. He then focused on baseball for the next five years, but returned to the Celtics for three more years beginning in 1958-59. He averaged just under six points per game in 196 regular season contests, and 5.1 points per game in 33 playoff appearances during that span, and the team won the NBA championship all three years.

After sitting out the 1961-62 basketball season, he joined the New York Knicks for two years beginning in 1962, averaging 7.1 points per game in 116 outings.

In his basketball career, Conley posted a 5.9 points per game average in 351 regular season contests. He wore jersey number 17 with the Celtics; after he retired, the number was passed on to a young up-and-coming Ohio State graduate named John Havlicek.

Following his baseball days, Conley returned to Hartford in 1966 for two seasons with the Hartford Capitols of the Eastern Professional Basketball League. The team placed second in the regular season both years.

He and his wife Katie had three children and seven grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.

Photo courtesy of Alex and Mia Jensen