Major League Baseball Player, Broadcaster. For twelve seasons (1964 to 1975), he played at the outfielder position with the Detroit Tigers, Montreal Expos and Baltimore Orioles. Born James Thomas Northrup, he attended St. Louis High School (Michigan) and Alma College where he was a multi-sport athlete who excelled at football and baseball. Signed by the Tigers as an amateur free agent in 1960, he marked his Major League debut with Detroit on September 30th, 1964 and appeared in 5 games that season. He made history, as he hit two grand slams in one game against the Indians on June 24th, 1968 and belted a third grand slam during the same week against the White Sox on June 29th, 1968. He experienced a world championship in 1968 with the Tigers, emerging a hero, as he belted 2 home runs and hit a two-run triple while driving-in 8 runs during the World Series. Northrup, (whom shared playing time in right-field with Al Kaline) produced three consecutive 20-or-better home run seasons (1968 with 21, 1969 with 25 and 1970 with 24). In 1,392 regular season games, he compiled 1,254 hits with a .267 lifetime batting average. Following his playing career, he worked as a manufacturer's representative for nearly a decade before joining the Tigers' television broadcast team (1985 to 1994) and working with Ernie Harwell, also at times with his former 1968 teammates Bill Freehan and Jim Price. He was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2000. In recent years, he had been suffering from the affects of Alzheimer's disease. He died from a seizure.
Major League Baseball Player, Broadcaster. For twelve seasons (1964 to 1975), he played at the outfielder position with the Detroit Tigers, Montreal Expos and Baltimore Orioles. Born James Thomas Northrup, he attended St. Louis High School (Michigan) and Alma College where he was a multi-sport athlete who excelled at football and baseball. Signed by the Tigers as an amateur free agent in 1960, he marked his Major League debut with Detroit on September 30th, 1964 and appeared in 5 games that season. He made history, as he hit two grand slams in one game against the Indians on June 24th, 1968 and belted a third grand slam during the same week against the White Sox on June 29th, 1968. He experienced a world championship in 1968 with the Tigers, emerging a hero, as he belted 2 home runs and hit a two-run triple while driving-in 8 runs during the World Series. Northrup, (whom shared playing time in right-field with Al Kaline) produced three consecutive 20-or-better home run seasons (1968 with 21, 1969 with 25 and 1970 with 24). In 1,392 regular season games, he compiled 1,254 hits with a .267 lifetime batting average. Following his playing career, he worked as a manufacturer's representative for nearly a decade before joining the Tigers' television broadcast team (1985 to 1994) and working with Ernie Harwell, also at times with his former 1968 teammates Bill Freehan and Jim Price. He was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2000. In recent years, he had been suffering from the affects of Alzheimer's disease. He died from a seizure.
Bio by: C.S.
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Married Feb. 6 1988
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