Sunday School: History Lesson 4

Charles "Red" Dooin was a talented catcher for our Phillies from 1902-1914. He excelled at blocking home plate from runners, despite his small size. Dooin's playing weight was roughly 165 pounds. From 1910-1914, Dooin not only played for the Phillies, but he managed them as well.

Red's impact on the game wasn't only with his on-field performances, because he was the first catcher to use shin guards. Hall of Famer Roger Bresnahan is widely credited for the innovation, but Bresnahan really only began wearing them after a collision at the plate with the well protected Dooin, in 1907. Dooin actually put Bresnahan in touch with his own sporting goods supplier, in order to obtain the shin guards. Dooin regularly wore his shin guards under his uniform, while Bresnaham wore his protection over his pants. Thus, fans and media took notice to one of the men first, instead of the other.

Red Dooin's offensive statistics weren't overly impressive. His career homerun total was 10...of which, he hit 6 in 1904. Red's speed was a plus however. He stole double digit bases for 7 straight seasons, as a Phillie. In his career, Dooin caught 1,124 games for our Phillies, which is second most in team history behind Mike Lieberthal.

Dooin's talents weren't confined to the baseball field. For years, during and after his playing days, Red would travel the Vaudeville circuit as both a singer and actor, performing with an Irish comedy act, "His Last Night Out".

In 1910, the Phillies named Dooin manager of the team. Dooin continued his catching duties. In 1911, he suffered a broken leg in a violent home plate collision, which forced him out of action. Over the next couple seasons, Dooin saw another leg injury and his playing time decrease.

In the 1914/1915 offseason, the Phils traded the 35-year-old, and "Red" became a Red. Dooin stayed in the majors through the 1916 season, then spent two more seasons playing and managing in the minors before he retired.