BASEBALL | FOOTBALL • 1899-1903

Garland “Jake” Stahl was a legendary multi-sport star for Illinois, earning All-America honors as a tackle on the football team in 1901 and establishing himself as a star catcher on the baseball diamond during the 1901-03 seasons. Illinois won the 1903 Big Ten baseball title with a 17-1 overall and 11-1 conference record. He helped lead Illinois to 25 victories on the gridiron during his football career from 1899-1902 while playing under George Huff, Fred Smith and Edgar Holt. Stahl established his legacy on the diamond with a batting average well over .400 his last three seasons. His 400-foot, bases-loaded home run against Michigan on May 9, 1903, off the tree in deep right center field at Illinois Field, remains one of the legendary single plays in Illini baseball history. For decades, the tree was known as “Stahl’s Tree.” He twice batted over .440 as an Illini and his senior-year batting average of .444 stood as the school record for 23 seasons. As a major leaguer, he enjoyed a magnificent eight-year career, highlighted by two World Series championships with the Boston Red Sox (1903 as a player and 1912 as the manager) and an American League-leading 10 home runs in 1910. Stahl died in 1922 at the age of 43.