Baseball
Inducted Inaugural Class of 1990
John was one of only two Genevans who made it to the major leagues. John was known as “Big John” because he was 6 ft. 2 inches tall and weighed 210 pounds. At 16, he started playing semi-pro baseball in Geneva in 1916. He pitched a no-hitter for Stoco Standards and signed a professional contract with the Detroit Tigers in 1919. He pitched in the minor leagues for Evansville, Ludington, and Knolls. In 1920 he was called up to the Detroit Tigers at the age of 19. His first win was against the Cleveland Indians, the eventual World Series Champions. Of the 1920 season a Detroit newspaper wrote that “one of the bright spots was Bogart’s pitching”. He was sent down to the minors the next year by manager Ty Cobb who preferred experienced pitchers.
John developed arm trouble in the minors but managed to play for some of the best minor league teams until 1932. He spent the 1927 and 1928 seasons with the Rochester Red Wings, helping the team to it’s first ever International League pennant in 1928. After leaving professional baseball he managed and umpired for many years in the Geneva area. In 1981 John was invited to throw out the first pitch at opening-day of the Rochester Red Wings game.