Chick Gagnon

Between 1840 and 1930, roughly one million French Canadians emigrated to the United States.1 A majority settled in nearby New England, drawn by employment in the textile industry which actively recruited Canadian workers in the boom following the Civil War. According to Smithsonian Magazine, by 1900 one in 10 New Englanders spoke French.2

Children from this immigration wave would make a significant mark in major league baseball. At least 26 New England-born major leaguers had at least one parent born in what is now known as the province of Quebec. Nap Lajoie, Rabbit Maranville, and Leo Durocher made it all the way to the Hall of Fame. Freddy Parent and Larry Gardner had long, productive careers. Jean Dubuc would likely have built on his 85 career wins, had he not been accused of receiving betting tips from gamblers during the Black Sox scandal, and slipped into retirement at age 30.

Chick Gagnon seemed likely to follow this remarkable Quebecois diaspora pipeline. “Big Leagues After Gagnon – Holy Cross Shortstop Much Sought After Player”3 trumpeted an April 1921 Boston Post headline capturing the buzz around Gagnon. At the time, he was a College of the Holy Cross baseball and football star who had just finished his third year at the college in Worcester, Massachusetts.

With his slight stature – 5-feet-7, 158 pounds – Gagnon was compared to Maranville and Miller Huggins, both successful and undersized players.4 Papers in Boston and New York debated about who would sign the prized prospect. The Brooklyn Dodgers, Washington Senators, and Pittsburgh Pirates were all rumored to have made offers. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that “Practically every major league club is endeavoring to add Gagnon to its roster.”5

Harold Dennis “Chick” Gagnon was born September 27, 1897, in Millbury, Massachusetts, 45 miles west of Boston.6 His mother, Julia Cahill was born in Worcester, to Irish immigrant parents7. His father Joseph Gagnon, a butcher, was born in Lower Canada8 – shortly before Canadian confederation in 1867 named this area the province of Quebec – and emigrated to Massachusetts with his family in the late 1860s. Chick had an older brother Joseph Dennis who was born in 1893 but died in 1896 and a younger brother Raymond Joseph born in 1898. “Chick” was a common nickname for Charles at this time, but the name Charles does not appear in the Gagnon family. Harold was certainly known as Chick from the earliest references and went by this name for the rest of his life.

Chick Gagnon attended Millbury Grammer School and the Worcester Academy where he “was noted for his baseball and football skill and it is expected that he will soon become one of the most noted of college athletes.” 9 In summer 1918 Gagnon served with the Newport Naval Reserve,10 then enrolled at Brown University and was the quarterback of their student army training corps (S.A.T.C.) football team and in late November made two drop-kick field goals to beat Harvard 6-3.11

Gagnon committed to Holy Cross in December 1918 where he played baseball, basketball, track, and football. His first baseball manager at Holy Cross was future baseball Hall of Fame outfielder Jesse Burkett,12 who returned to the major leagues after the 1920 season to coach with the New York Giants. In 1921 Burkett was replaced by former Athletics and Red Sox infielder baseman Jack Barry who made Chick Gagnon his first team captain.13 Barry was a Holy Cross alumni (class of 1908) and went on to manage Holy Cross for over 40 years. In 1921 Gagnon was presented by Holy Cross with the “best all-around athlete” award14 and was later inducted into their sports Hall of Fame in 1961. In 1919, Gagnon had been a teammate of future Cub and Giant Arnold “Jigger” Statz,15 and on the powerhouse 1922 team Gagnon was joined by fellow future major leaguers pitcher Haddie Gill, third baseman Doc Gautreau (who had French-Canadian immigrant parents as well16), and second baseman Freddie Maguire.

While still a college athlete, Chick Gagnon garnered controversy for being a paid “ringer” that played for independent ball clubs. In a September 1921 commentary in the Springfield (Massachusetts) Daily Republican it was revealed that Gagnon was in demand as a paid pick-up player for teams as he was “capable and very much an athletic hero.” Questions were raised as to whether a college athlete being paid to play in a professional sport should be considered an “amateur.”17 That conversation continues today more than one hundred years later. Despite persistent rumors that he was to be signed by a major league baseball club,18 Gagnon committed to finish his education and sports career at Holy Cross.

In November 1921, the Boston Globe described the upcoming rivalry game between Boston College and Holy Cross as the “Greatest Football Battle” and provided large photos of each team’s stars which included Holy Cross halfback Chick Gagnon.19 It was one of many articles in Boston papers that featured Gagnon’s football talents and ensured his name was consistently in the sports press in that city. The epic battle in Boston on November 26 was one-sided as Holy Cross defeated their traditional rival 41-0 in front of over 30,000 fans. Gagnon scored a second quarter touchdown but shortly after that score he suffered a severe knee injury and had to be replaced.20 Gagnon had suffered injuries to his knee on several occasions already that season, but had been rested by the team to try and get him ready for the Boston College game.21

By January 1922 the damaged knee had not fully recovered and the Portland (Maine) Evening Express suggested his baseball career may be over.22 But Gagnon recovered sufficiently to play the 1922 spring baseball season and captained the Holy Cross team to a 24-5 record during which he batted “well over .400.” 23 Immediately after graduation in June 1922, Gagnon made headlines when he signed with the Detroit Tigers to play for fiery manager Ty Cobb.24

As a rookie under Cobb, Gagnon’s opportunities never arose. He made 10 appearances for Detroit, but had no starts. He entered six games as a pinch-runner, two as a pinch-hitter, and two as a late game defensive replacement – one at third base and one at shortstop. Gagnon finished with one hit in four at-bats, with his only knock being a pinch-hit single July 7 against Washington left-hander George Mogridge. Cobb still had confidence in his young player, as on July 25 reports from Detroit were that:

“Ty Cobb believes that Chick Gagnon will make good. The famous Georgian has taken a keen interest in the work of the Holy Cross youngster who is just breaking in with the Tigers. Every day in practice Ty takes Gagnon out and paces him at shortstop. He bats them to Gagnon himself, giving him all sorts of difficult chances. Cobb also watches him closely in batting. He has changed Gagnon’s style at the plate, making the former Purple star crowd the plate in much the same style that he himself follows.”25

In late July, Chick Gagnon was farmed out to Rochester of the Class AA International League. Cobb again praised Gagnon despite the demotion: “Ty Cobb predicts Gagnon should be a star in the big show with more seasoning. Improvement in the batting line will fit the former Holy Cross star for a berth in the majors for this athlete is a wizard when it comes to fielding.”26

Gagnon made the most of the increased playing time immediately in Rochester, as he hit home runs in each of his first two games. He went on to appear in 65 games, hit an even .300, and paced the team with eight home runs. Detroit decided that winter to move on from their top prospect and Gagnon was traded to Washington on December 14, 1922, in a swap for pitcher Ray Francis.27 Washington had previously been linked to signing Gagnon before he inked with the Tigers in June.28 Francis, who had started 26 games for the Senators in 1922, pitched mainly in relief in his only season with the Tigers before moving on to brief stops with the Yankees and the Red Sox.

Chick Gagnon married Catherine Murphy of Malden, Massachusetts, in her hometown on February 3, 1923. That spring Gagnon hoped to challenge veteran Roger Peckinpaugh as the Washington starting shortstop,29 and Gagnon spoke about the challenge:

“It’s a pretty tough assignment for any youngster to take a job away from a ball player like Roger Peckinpaugh. Peck has years of experience that only years will give me, but that doesn’t mean that I am not going to make him travel some to land the regular job. If Peck or any of the other shortfield candidates beat me to the position I still believe that I can show enough for President Griffith to keep me hanging around if it is to do nothing more than gather up the bats.”30

By the end of March, however, Gagnon’s knee troubles had returned. The Washington Herald declared that Gagnon’s “Career Probably Ended by Injury” and suggested Washington president Clark Griffith was “again on the wrong end of a trade” due to the setback. The paper acknowledged that Gagnon had star talent, but that he had recently “wrenched” the knee that had been “injured playing football at Holy Cross” and was likely through.31

Chick Gagnon’s career wasn’t over, but when Washington’s training camp ended, he was optioned to the New Haven Profs of the Class A Eastern League. Gagnon had a solid start to the season, hit .310 on the campaign, and was reportedly one “of the best third baseman in the league.” But, according to reports, he “wasn’t getting along” with New Haven manager Bill Donovan,32 and Washington’s option on Gagnon was transferred to another Eastern League team, the Pittsfield (Massachusetts) Hillies, on July 18.

The turmoil didn’t diminish his season, as Gagnon was inserted into the cleanup spot for his debut game for Pittsfield and collected a walk-off single in the Hillies victory. He continued his stellar season when he had a 5-for-5 day at the plate and “shone afield”33 on August 6, but it was a “severe blow” for the team when Gagnon reinjured his knee four weeks later while fielding a groundball.34 It was again the same knee he had injured playing football, and later that month it was announced Gagnon would return to Washington for surgery. It was hoped that this would ensure he was in “first-class condition” to go south with the parent club in the spring.35

In 1924 Gagnon headed to Washington’s spring training in Florida, but was unable to start playing games in mid-March as he was dealing with arm issues and “is still unable to straighten his elbow.”36 As Gagnon now battled both arm and knee injuries, there would be little consideration given to handing him a starting job. He did stay with Washington to start the 1924 season, and made his Washington debut on April 23, and connected for a pinch-hit, two-run single in the ninth inning off Athletics left-hander Fred Heimach. It was the final hit of his major league career.

Gagnon’s second (and last) season in the majors would end up like his previous stint for Detroit, as he appeared in only three additional games, and again no starts. He appeared once as a pinch-hitter and twice as a defensive replacement, ending the season 1-for-5 at the plate to finish his major league career with a .222 batting average (2-for-9). Gagnon was again sent to the minors in July 1924 when he was traded to the Kansas City Blues37 of the Class AA American Association and hit .265 in 65 games there. In February 1925, Gagnon was traded to Dallas of the Texas League,38 but The Sporting News received notice in April 1925 that Chick Gagnon had voluntarily retired. Thereafter in June it was reported that that Gagnon had resurfaced in independent baseball.39

At 28, Chick Gagnon returned to Organized Baseball in 1926 with the International League’s Newark (New Jersey) Bears and then the Eastern League’s Albany (New York) Senators but only managed a combined .242 batting average. He spent 1927 split between with the Salem (Massachusetts) Witches, who released Gagnon early in the season due to arm issues,40 and Lewiston (Maine) Twins of the Class B New England League, and finished his minor league career with Lewiston in 1928 where he batted a solid .304.

In 1929, at the age of 31, Gagnon started work at the George F. Wright Steel and Wire company, where he played on the Wright Wire team of the Worcester County Industrial Baseball League. An indication of Gagnon’s reputation was that seemingly minor bit of news was carried in an article by the Boston Globe.41 This article also mentioned Gagnon coached at St. Peter’s High School in Worcester which ties into the 1930 US census where Gagnon listed his occupation as “coach” and his industry as “school.” So, the Steel and Wire company was likely just another opportunity to play ball and not a career job.

Chick Gagnon played semipro ball into the 1930s, and local newspapers advertised his appearance in upcoming matches as the prime attraction. Gagnon was headlined as the “Holy Cross star” once a “regular player” in the American League with Detroit and Washington.42

Gagnon continued to serve as an educator and coach at several Worcester high schools and coached at Catholic University in Washington, DC, before he retired to Wilmington, Delaware. Harold “Chick” Gagnon passed away April 30, 1970, at the age of 72, at the Memorial Hospital in Wilmington and left behind his wife Catherine, three grown children – Harold D, Jr. (also called Chick), Mary, and Jeanne – and 14 grandchildren. Gagnon’s remains were returned to Worcester, and he was buried in Saint John’s Cemetery.43

Gagnon’s major league career was brief, only 14 games and nine at-bats over two seasons, but he did play error free ball at shortstop (seven chances) and finished 2-for-4 against left-handed pitching. The (Pittsfield, Massachusetts) Berkshire Eagle looked back on Gagnon’s baseball career in 1939 when he has coaching a semiprofessional football team in Worcester, and noted that “Gagnon hurt his knee while playing football at Holy Cross and this trick knee kept him from being a major league star.”44 In the end, this recurring knee injury and the subsequent lack of opportunity ensured that predicted stardom forever eluded him.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Bob Muldoon for his encouragement and initial review of the bio, which was also reviewed by Darren Gibson and Bill Lamb and fact-checked by Paul Proia.

Photo credit: Chick Gagnon, Boston Post, April 3, 1921.

Sources

In addition to the source shown in the Notes, the author used Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org.

Notes

1 David Vermette. “When an Influx of French – Canadian Immigrants Struck Fear into Americans,” Smithsonian Magazine, August 21, 2019,

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/french-canadian-immigrants-struck-fear-into-new-england-communities-180972951/

2 Vermette, Smithsonian Magazine.

3 “Big Leagues After Gagnon,” Boston Post, April 3, 1921: 53.

4 “Big Leagues After Gagnon.”

5 “Ebbets Has Chance to Get Gagnon, Holy Cross Infielder,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, December 28, 1921: 16.

6 Births registered in Millbury for the year 1897 & 1898, page 192, line 88.

7 1900 US Census for Julia Gagnon, 1897; birth registration for Harold D. Gagnon.

8 1897 birth registration for Harold D. Gagnon; 1900 US Census, naturalization records for Joseph Gagnon.

9 “Chick Gagnon to Enter Holy Cross,” Springfield (Massachusetts) Daily Republican, December 31, 1918: 11.

10 “Chick Gagnon to Enter Holy Cross.”

11 Melville E. Webb, Jr., “Harvard Beaten in Last Minutes,” Boston Globe, December 1, 1918: 15.

12 1920 Holy Cross school yearbook, 203.

13 “Hall of Fame,” Go Holy Cross, https://goholycross.com/honors/hall-of-fame/harold-d-gagnon/108, accessed March 27, 2025.

14 “Hall of Fame.”

15 “Harvard Shut Out by Holy Cross,” Boston Globe, June 8, 1919: 17.

16 Doc Gautreau – Society for American Baseball Research biography

17 “Chick Gagnon in Demand by Ball Teams,” Springfield Daily Republican, September 6, 1921: 12.

18 “Gagnon and Maguire of Holy Cross College Due for Big Leagues,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 21, 1922: 27.

19 “BC and Holy Cross Ready for Battle,” Boston Globe, November 21, 1921: 53.

20 “Great Triumph for Holy Cross,” Boston Globe, November 27, 1921: 19.

21 “Gagnon Still Out of Purple Lineup,” Springfield Daily Republican, November 4, 1921: 6.

22 “Holy Cross Afraid Star Chick Gagnon Is Done,” Portland (Maine) Evening Express, January 19, 1922: 7.

23 “Watching the Sport Board in All Fields,” Greensboro (North Carolina) Daily News, June 24, 1922: 8.

24 “Tigers Get Holy Cross Star Player,” Detroit Free Press, June 21, 1922: 13.

25 “Ty Cobb Is Strong for Chick Gagnon,” Portland Evening Express, July 25, 1922: 7.

26 “Ty Cobb Predicts Gagnon Should Be a Star,” Norwich (Connecticut) Bulletin, August 3, 1922: 3.

27 “‘Even-Stephen’ Thinks Cobb About Switch,” Washington (DC) Herald, Dec 15, 1922: 13.

28 “Gagnon May Join the Senators,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, February 7, 1922: 23.

29 “Chick Gagnon May Grab Peck’s Place,” (Phoenix) Arizona Republican, December 27, 1922: 3.

30 “Gagnon Bids for Berth,” Washington Herald, March 6, 1923: 20

31 “Career Probably Ended by Injury,” Washington (DC) Daily News, March 31, 1923: 13.

32 “Hillies Land Chick Gagnon,” Springfield Daily Republican, July 19, 1923: 5.

33 “Gagnon the Cynosure,” Springfield Daily Republican, August 7, 1923: 10.

34 “Gagnon Reinjures Knee,” Springfield Daily Republican, September 2, 1923: 7.

35 “Journey to Washington,” (Pittsfield, Massachusetts) Berkshire Eagle, September 24, 1923: 10.

36 “Chick Gagnon Not Likely to Perform in First Practice Game,” Washington (DC) Times, March 6, 1924: 26.

37 “A Good Trade for Blues,” Kansas City Times, July 19, 1924: 12.

38 “Gagnon Once More Shifts – This Time He’s Dallas Bound,” Hartford Courant, February 10, 1925: 11.

39 Chick Gagnon’s Sporting News baseball player contract card.

40 “N. E. League Notes,” Lynn (Massachusetts) Daily Item, May 24, 1927: 4.

41 “Gagnon in Worcester Industrial League,” Boston Globe, July 12, 1929: 16.

42 “Gagnon to Play Here Sunday,” Middlebury (Vermont) Register, September 17, 1931: 5.

43 “Harold Dennis ‘Chick’ Gagnon,” Find A Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/48309934/harold-dennis-gagnon

44 “Gagnon Coaching Team,” Berkshire Eagle, October 31, 1939: 14.