Thomas Kain | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | July 7, 1907 |
| Died | June 24, 1971 (aged 63) |
| Other names | Shaky |
| Alma mater | University of Georgia |
| Occupations |
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| Spouse | Mary Ruth Woolard |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame (1986) |
Thomas Gerald "Shaky" Kain (July 7, 1907 – June 24, 1971) was a professional baseball pitcher for 14 seasons in Minor League Baseball, a three-time championship-winning manager at that level for six seasons, a scout for Major League Baseball teams, and a college football referee.
Kain was born in 1907 in Nashville, Tennessee,[1] and attended Hume-Fogg High School. He then attended the University of Georgia where he played college football, as a fullback and halfback, and college baseball.[2]
Kain was a pitcher in the minor leagues in 1927, 1929–1937, 1939, and 1941–1943, spending most of his career in the New York Yankees farm system. He had a win–loss record of 87–70 in 217 games pitched—although minor league baseball records for the era are incomplete—winning as many as 16 games in a season four times.[3]
He then was a manager in the minor leagues for the Butler Yankees (1939-1941), Amsterdam Rugmakers (1942) and Norfolk Tars (1943, 1946). He led his teams to the playoffs each year he managed.[2]
Kain was a scout for the Yankees from 1947 to 1948, the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1949 to 1951, the Philadelphia Phillies from 1956 to 1959, and the Chicago Cubs from 1960 to 1968.[2]
During the baseball offseason, Kain was a college football referee in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), a job he held for 28 years (1935–1963).[4] He was considered the top referee at the time, being selected to officiate 14 consecutive Senior Bowls.[2]
Kain was married in 1932; he and his wife had two sons.[2] During World War II, he spent two years working for Vultee Aircraft in Nashville.[2] Kain was elected to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1986,[4] and to the Middle Tennessee Football Officials Association (MTFOA) Hall of Fame in 2017.[5] He died in Nashville in 1971,[6] and is buried in Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery there.[2]