77. Johnny Hopp
Baseball / Hastings / 1916-2003
QUICK FACTS:
Played for: Hastings High, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees
Best athlete from Nebraska played with or against: Probably Mel Harder, a Beemer native who pitched 20 seasons for the Cleveland Indians, winning 223 games and making four All-Star appearances.
Best moment as an athlete: One of the best would have been winning back-to-back World Series with the Yankees in 1950 and 1951, or being voted the most popular player of the World Series in 1941. His best year at the plate was 1950 when he hit .339 for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
It was 1941 when the St. Louis Cardinals, looking for someone to replace the fleet-footed duo of Pepper Martin and Don Gutteridge, took the shackles off Johnny Hopp.
Hopp had been with the club since 1939, but had only appeared in half of the games played in 1940. A permanent spot in the starting lineup in 1941 allowed him to blossom and grab the attention of teams around the league.
One press clipping described Hopp as "a dynamo who, perhaps more than anyone else, typifies the dashing, hell-for-leather play" of the Cardinals.
Hopp's 13-year career spanned five teams and as many World Series appearances, including World Series victories in his final two years in the majors.
After his playing days, Hopp served as a coach for the Cardinals and Tigers from 1952 to 1957 before returning to Hastings to work as an administrative assistant at KansasNebraska Energy.
During his playing days, Hopp was a beloved Nebraska native. In 1950, The World-Herald helped conduct All-Star game voting in the region. Hopp received the most votes of anyone in the region with 3,572 votes. All-time great Ted Williams was second, receiving 958.
Breaking into the major leagues in his day was no small task. In a 1959 interview, Hopp estimated 500 players were in the Cardinals organization alone.
Even after his playing days were over, the itch never left him. Said Hopp: "When it comes training time, we think about going south, renting a cottage on the beach, and playing ball again."
-- Jon Crowl
QUICK FACTS:
Played for: Hastings High, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees
Best athlete from Nebraska played with or against: Probably Mel Harder, a Beemer native who pitched 20 seasons for the Cleveland Indians, winning 223 games and making four All-Star appearances.
Best moment as an athlete: One of the best would have been winning back-to-back World Series with the Yankees in 1950 and 1951, or being voted the most popular player of the World Series in 1941. His best year at the plate was 1950 when he hit .339 for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
