Mount Morris - Bob "Jersey" Croston

Bob “Jersey” Croston was a 2 sport athlete in basketball and baseball from the Class of 1953. While he played high school sports, he made a bigger name for himself in baseball as a pitcher in Legion ball and in semi pro leagues. One of his nicknames was “the whip” due to his deceptive pitching techniques that gave fits to any hitter who faced him. His strong arm was scouted by several major league baseball teams and he received 3 tentative offers to play professional baseball and also an offer to play professionally in Mexico. In 1954, he signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates from Branch Rickey Jr. While in major league baseball, he played for the Hutchinson Elks in Kansas in the Class C Western Association, for Deland in the Florida State League, and also for Panama City in the Alabama-Florida League. After his professional career, he returned to Mt. Morris and continued to play town ball at a high level until he was in his 40’s. He was looked up to by many for his amazing durability. This man, and fellow Hall of Famer Roger Sawyer are the only two in school history to play baseball at the professional level.