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George “Shotgun” Shuba - Baseball - 1924-2014

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George “Shotgun” Shuba - Baseball - 1924-2014

Posted: 5 Oct 2014 10:34AM GMT
Classification: Obituary
Edited: 5 Oct 2014 10:40AM GMT
Surnames: Puskar
AUSTINTOWN, OH - George “Shotgun” Shuba, 89, passed away Sept. 29, 2014.

George was born on Dec. 13, 1924, in Youngstown, Ohio (Mahoning County) the son of George and Katharina Puskar Shuba. His father was an immigrant from Czechoslovakia.


He was a 1942 graduate of Chaney High School, where he starred in baseball and was an outstanding player during his formative years on the summer sandlots.
He was signed out of a try-out camp by the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League, later starting for Dodger farm system teams in Olean, N.Y., New Orleans, St. Paul, Minn., Mobile, Ala., and their top farm team, the Montreal Royals.

It was on April 18, 1946, when he greeted teammate Jackie Robinson at home plate, while both were members of the Montreal Royals, during a game versus the Jersey City Giants.
After Robinson’s professional hit, a home run, he extended and heartily shook Robinson’s hand in what has become known as the moment’s first interracial handshake captured in sports.

That photograph has since become known as “A Handshake for the Century” and is adorned on walls of schools and businesses nationwide, where he has spoken over the years.

He played seven seasons in the big leagues, all with the Brooklyn Dodgers, where he hit 24 home runs, batted .259, and had 125 runs batted in over 855 total games played. His home run in the 1953 World Series off of New York Yankees twirler, Allie Reynolds, on Sept. 30, was the first ever pinch-hit round-tripper by a National League player in the Fall Classic.

He was a member of the 1955 Dodgers World Series championship team (the only title the team won while based in Brooklyn) and is one of the players immortalized in famed author Roger Kahn’s best-selling book, “The Boys of Summer.”

Proud of his Slovak ethnicity, he was a favorite at cards and collectibles shows among its many visitors, who often cited his warm and friendly approach when signing an autograph or when asked to take a picture with a fan.

His life story was captured in his biography, “My Memories as a Brooklyn Dodger,” published in 2007, and well-received at the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Cooperstown, N.Y. that summer.
Upon completion of his professional career, he was co-owner of a local sporting goods shop, L&R Sports, later working for 25 years with the U.S. Postal Service as an office manager in its Inspector’s Division.
He retired from the USPS in 1986.

George leaves to cherish his memories, his wife, the former Kathryn Forde, whom he married on Sept. 6, 1958; a son, Michael, president and CEO of Shuba Enterprises; two daughters, Marlene (Joe) DelFraino of Poland, Ohio and May Kay DDS (Sean DDS) McNeeley of Avon, OH; grandchildren Sarah DelFraino, Andrea (Philip) Ciarnello, Mark DelFraino, Lisa DelFraino, Katherine McNeeley, Anna McNeeley; and a sister, Helen Wasko.

He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers, Stephen, Thomas, Rev. Monsignor Michael Shuba, John, and Ed. The Shuba family has entrusted their loved one to the care of the Lane Family Funeral Home, Austintown Chapel, 5797 Mahoning Ave., Austintown, OH 44515, where family and friends may visit from 4 to 7 p.m. at the funeral home on Friday, Oct. 10, 2014.

“The family would appreciate quietness in the main viewing room.”

Please visit www.lanefuneralhomes.com to send e-mailed condolences or send them to mikedodger8@aol.com.

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