Topekan Charles (Chick) Gordon is pictured here wearing a Topeka Decker Oilers jacket and cap. Gordon is known to have played with this semi-pro baseball team in 1948 and 1950-52 as a pitcher, first baseman, and outfielder. In 1950, Gordon was named the most valuable player at the state semi-pro baseball tournament in Wichita after he recorded four tourney wins for the Decker Oilers. His performance on the mound was instrumental in propelling the team to the tournament final, where it subsequently lost the state title to the El Dorado Elks. Gordon was a standout athlete at Topeka High School and Washburn University, excelling in both basketball and baseball. At Topeka High, he pitched a no-hitter to win the state baseball championship for the Trojans in 1947. At Washburn, he was a major contributor in securing the school's league championship in basketball in 1951. Digital reproduction of the photograph was accomplished through a joint project sponsored by the Kansas Historical Society and the Shawnee County Baseball Hall of Fame.
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