Phillies Trivia: Which Players Might Have Been Football Stars?

A few weeks ago, in “10 Phillies Facts Every Real Fan Should Know,” I reached back to the past, as far back as 1883 (for best nickname in team history: Bob “Death to Flying Things” Ferguson). This week, I’ve got some interesting things you might not know about this year’s team.

1. Shane Victorino was a track star in high school. He once ran the 100-meter dash in 10.5 seconds and the 200 meters in 21.3 seconds, and won state gold medals in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 400 meters his senior year.

2. When he was 13, Jimmy Rollins was an extra in the video for the MC Hammer song, “Addams Family Groove.” He appeared for about one second as a head sticking out of a grave (at the 3:35 mark).

3. Dom Brown was given a scholarship offer by Miami to play wide receiver. Brown was a pitching star, not an outfielder, in high school, going 9-3 with a 2.55 ERA.

4. Chase Utley was introduced to his future wife Jen by Chase’s former teammate on the UCLA baseball team … former Eagles wide receiver Freddie Mitchell.

5. Ryan Howard played trombone in his high-school band through his junior year, but claims to have not touched a trombone since.

6. Kyle Kendrick was offered a scholarship to play quarterback at Washington State after a stellar high-school career. (He’s actually on their 2003 team roster, though he never played for them.)

7. By catching both of Roy Halladay‘s no-hitters in 2010, Chooch became only the third catcher in MLB history to catch two no-hitters from the same pitcher in the same season.

8. When Ty Wiggington‘s wife went into labor two weeks early in 2005, Ty was forced to deliver the baby himself at home, following instructions from 9-1-1, then handing his wife the phone so he could tie the umbilical cord with a shoelace.

9. Wigginton’s son’s birth was probably just as dramatic as Charlie Manuel‘s birth. Charlie was born in a car in West Virginia.

10. Phillies PA announcer Dan Baker has been announcing Phils games for 40 years, longer than any other PA announcer currently in baseball.