(From Senator Brown’s Office)

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) is calling on the Baseball Hall of Fame Historical Overview Committee to include Ohio native William Ellsworth “Dummy” Hoy on the December 2024 Hall of Fame ballot, in recognition of his dedication and contributions to the game of baseball. Hoy played fourteen seasons of Major League Baseball, including five with the Cincinnati Reds. Brown, a devoted Cleveland Guardians fan, was joined by U.S. Representatives Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-9) and Greg Landsman (D-OH-1) in his letter to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

“As members of Ohio’s Congressional Delegation, we urge you to consider William Ellsworth “Dummy” Hoy for inclusion into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Hoy is a proud son of Ohio and remains an inspiration to deaf and hard of hearing athletes across the country. Including him on the December 2024 ballot would provide a long-overdue opportunity to consider his achievements and legacy,” wrote the members.

The full letter is HERE or below:

Dear Members of the Baseball Hall of Fame Historical Overview Committee:

As members of Ohio’s Congressional Delegation, we urge you to consider William Ellsworth “Dummy” Hoy for inclusion into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Hoy is a proud son of Ohio and remains an inspiration to deaf and hard of hearing athletes across the country. Including him on the December 2024 ballot would provide a long-overdue opportunity to consider his achievements and legacy.

William Ellsworth Hoy was born in Houcktown, Ohio in 1862 and became deaf three years later. He graduated as class valedictorian from the Ohio State School for the Deaf and went on to have the most decorated career of any deaf player in baseball history.

Hoy was one of the very best players of his era. He played fourteen seasons of Major League Baseball, including five with the Cincinnati Reds. He played in nearly 1,800 games and amassed more than 2,000 hits. He hit .300 three times and scored more than 100 runs in nine different seasons. He had league-leading seasons in games, plate appearances, at bats, stolen bases, walks, times hit by a pitch, and sacrifice bunts. When he retired, he held the all-time records for both games played in center field and career putouts.

After his baseball career, he operated a dairy farm in southwest Ohio and continued to receive honors from those in and out of the baseball community. In 1951, he was the first athlete inducted into the United States of America Deaf Sports Federation Hall of Fame. He threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 3 of the 1961 World Series in Cincinnati and was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 2003. Hoy has been the subject of several children’s books, documentaries, and movies and is the namesake for Gallaudet University’s baseball field and a biannual baseball game held in New York during Deaf Awareness Week.

On the merits of his distinguished career and legacy on and off the field, the National Baseball Hall of Fame should consider “Dummy” Hoy for inclusion.

In April of 2022, a ceremony to dedicate an Ohio Historical Marker recognizing William Hoy was held in Houcktown.