Ray Kolp (Reds Pitcher from 1927 thru 1934)

[BigRug22]

I am new, and I am here. I've got an interest in Ray Kolp (Raymond C. Kolp), who pitched well for the Reds 1927 thru 1934. I'm interested in stories, vintage baseball cards, and pictures related to Ray Kolp. Any Ray Kolp fans or memories still out there?

http://www.kolps.com

[oneupper]

Hi BR. Welcome!

Is Ray Kolp a relative?

[BigRug22]

Yes, he is a distant relative. I talked earlier this year with his 95 year old niece in Colorado, who told me stories of her summers as a youngster living with Ray Kolp and wife Bertha in Cincinnati (probably at 1253 Rutledge Ave). She remembers him well, describing him as a "dapper" man. Says he earned $10,000 per year, which "was a fortune back then."

[MrCinatit]

Ray Kolp's 1933 Goudey card, front:

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa219/MrCinatit/kolpfront.jpg

and back:

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa219/MrCinatit/kolpback.jpg

These are the only cards of his that I have.

[westofyou]

10k a year? doubtful, especially for that reds team, they changed owners during his stay and the 2nd owner ended up going bankrupt and giving the club to the bank.

[BigRug22]

I found this image, supposedly of the 1928 Reds, on the internet.

http://kolps.com/resources/reds1928ABCDEF.jpg

Is it the 1928 Reds or not? If it is, which one is Ray Kolp?

My guess is that Ray Kolp is in the middle row, third from the left.

[westofyou]

I'd say it's very possible its that team, it looks like Jack Hendicks is the manager, and I don't see Edd Roush, thus that's at least in the time frame.

You can dig up some images from the Spalding guides on the American Memory site.

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/spalding/index.html

Such as this 1928 image

http://memory.loc.gov/service/gc/spalding/00171/00074v.jpg

[Irridly09]

Thanks for posting the link, Sam. It looks like a good site.

[Bigrug22]

Learned today, by searching old newspapers using Google, that Reds 1930s hurler Ray Kolp had a son, Dick Kolp, who played in 1939 and 1940 for the Paducah (Kentucky) Indians, in the minors. He too was a pitcher. Dick would be about 92, if he were still alive today.

Any Kolp descendants of Ray or Dick out there?

[Bigrug22]

I learned recently that Ray Kolp, Reds pitcher from 1927 thru 1934, lived near Vine Street in the Carthage section of Cincinnati in the 1960s. He died in 1967, and his services were at the Hodapp Funeral Home at 7401 Vine Street. He was a guard at Ridgewood Ordnance in the 60s.

I am interested in learning more about him. Any oldtimers out there that remember him? Where did he live? Who were his friends.

I've added new pictures of him in his Reds uniform to his dedicated website:

http://www.raykolp.com

Who is the other Reds player pictured with Ray Kolp in the latest snapshot? Anyone know?

I've also added a photo to the website of his silver LIFETIME PASS. I understand that major league baseball began giving them out in the mid-1930s to players who retired with ten years in the majors. Do they still give them out?

Any and all information about Ray Kolp or his son Dick would be appreciated. Thank you.

[savafan]

I've also added a photo to the website of his silver LIFETIME PASS. I understand that major league baseball began giving them out in the mid-1930s to players who retired with ten years in the majors. Do they still give them out?



I can answer this. Yes, they still give them out. When I went to the Louisville Slugger Museum, we were told that former players who had the lifetime pass could tour the museum for free.

[Bigrug22]

I hope to visit Cooperstown this Summer for sure and see what Lifetime Passes they have there. Thanks for the information.

Does anyone know who the ballplayer in the below picture on the left is? Ray Kolp is on the right, and my guess is the year is around 1934 or 1935.


6127

Picture is one of many 1928-1935 Reds from http:www.raykolp.com

[camisadelgolf]

If this helps you, the player on the left looks noticeably shorter, and Ray Kolp was listed at 5'10". I spent about 10 seconds researching it, and I think it's Benny Frey. Don't quote me on it though. I might look into it more when I get more time.

[westofyou]

I hope to visit Cooperstown this Summer for sure and see what Lifetime Passes they have there. Thanks for the information.

Does anyone know who the ballplayer in the below picture on the left is? Ray Kolp is on the right, and my guess is the year is around 1934 or 1935.


6127

Picture is one of many 1928-1935 Reds from http:www.raykolp.com

That image is from 1929 or 1930, those are the Reds home uniforms.

That "might" be Tony Cuccinello (who was 5' 7") with Kolp

[dougdirt]

That image is from 1929 or 1930, those are the Reds home uniforms.

That "might" be Tony Cuccinello (who was 5' 7") with Kolp

Your knowledge is amazing.

[Bigrug22]

Westofyou, you amaze me! Other internet pictures of Tony Cuccinello as a Red player in the early 1930s confirm the match, in my mind.

It seems right to me: the picture is young infielder Tony Cuccinello in 1930 next to pitcher Ray Kolp.

The full image is this:

6129

My understanding is that Ray Kolp had this photo in his possession around the time of his death in the mid-1960s.

More on Ray Kolp at http:www.raykolp.com

Sincere thanks to Westofyou.

[Bigrug22]

I recently got an email at the www.raykolp.com website suggesting that the Reds player next to Ray Kolp in the picture is not Tony Cuccinello but rather fellow pitcher Benny Frey. Checking the pictures available on the internet, to my eyes it does seem clear, it is Benny Frey.

[westofyou]

Here is Benny
https://www.theconloncollection.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/da92497cb12e24eee17a0680e01ad935/Frey_Benny_003.jpg