The 200-pound Bescher was a college football star at Wittenberg (Ohio). The winner of four consecutive stolen base titles (1909-12), he held the NL single-season record (81 in 1911) until Maury Wills broke it in 1962. A classic leadoff batter, he led the NL in runs (120) in 1912 and walks (94) in 1913.
