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Mystery Person #5 - John Gross was born in Buckhorn in 1898.  His grandfather, Pete Gross, was one of the first settlers of Perry County, coming to this country in 1858 and settling in what is now Buckhorn.  He completed school at Buckhorn and went into the Mercantile business with his father, John Gross Sr.  He  was married on June 14, 1921 in Leslie County.  Two years later he came to Hazard where he got baseball fever and played for a couple of years. Gross joined the Mount Sterling team in the Blue Grass league as a pitcher.  When a New York Giants scout visited Kentucky he witnesses John consecutively hurl two one-hitters, one no-hitter, and three two-hitters.  The rest is history.  Gross was offered a contract and he packed his bags and headed north, becoming a pitcher for the New York Giants where he stayed with the team the remainder of the season.  The 1923 Giants were the National League Pennant winners.  Gross recalls pitching to Babe Ruth in batting practice during exhibition games. His teammates included Cy Young, Frank Frisch, and Frank Snyder.  He was well acquainted with baseball greats John McGraw, Casey Stingel, and George Keller.  "My greatest thrill in baseball was when I pitched against the great Lefty Grove during an exhibition game in Baltimore," said Gross.  When he wasn't on the mound for the Giants, he was somewhere in the outfield.  In less than six months he had risen from a pitcher in Class D ball to the Major leagues.  He weighed only 155 pounds, but he hit right around the .300 mark.  Not bad for a mountain boy from Hazard.  

In 1924, his contract was sold to the American Association Indianapolis Club.  Unfortunately, he received an injury to his arm and was limited to only spring training.  That's when Gross headed back to Hazard where he continued to be contacted by scouts from different organizations.  However, he declined due to his injury.  "I don't know whether I hurt my arm by throwing the ball too much or not throwing it enough," he said.  In 1925, Gross coached the Hazard baseball team.  After helping the team that year, he returned to the Mercantile business in Buckhorn.  

Nearly 30 years later John Gross served as Perry County Sheriff from 1950-1953.  He died on September 15, 1986 at the age of 88.

The Mystery Person is John Gross, father of Lelia Engle."  Joe Duncan, Hazard, KY

"I think the Mystery Person might be John Gross.  When I was young I heard many stories from the older baseball people in this area about his strong pitching arm.  I was told he tried out with the Cincinnati Reds and that other pro teams were interested in him."  Roscoe Shackelford, Hazard, Ky.

I believe the Mystery Person is Earl Combs.  Kenny Combs, Camden, OH