Born in Louisiana, Joe Adcock played in three different decades for his two UL clubs, the Washington Monuments and the Chicago Colts. The 1B/OF debuted in the UL's  inaugural campaign, and finally retired 21 years later aged 43 in 1972, still playing full-time in New Orleans.

It's difficult to know what Adcock's career numbers might have looked like had he not  played in cavernous Griffith Stadium throughout his prime, and had not struggled to hold down a full-time place amongst the team of mega-stars that dominated the early days of the United League.  He was 33 before he amassed over 500 ABs in a season.  His
 first run of being a true regular was when he turned 35, having over 600 ABs three years in a row.  Indeed, in the ten seasons prior to his 31st birthday, Adcock only  passed the 400 AB mark twice; in the ten seasons after his 31st birthday, he passed it eight times, only falling short in an injury riddled '63 and his final UL season in '70.

It was during those late years of his career that Adcock found his power stroke.  Between '64 and '67 he averaged 30 homers a year, making UL All-Star teams 4 years in a row,  compared to 16 homers a year between '54 and '57 -- partly Griffith, sure, and partly playing time, but Adcock's Indian summer late in his career saw him reinvented from a  righty-platoon hitter to a middle-of-the-lineup stalwart.  At age 36, he won his first UL championship since the five pennants he won in the early days in the Capital.

In those peak years, Adcock emerged as an offensive force, hitting over .300 and  slugging higher than .490 for six straight years, something he only managed to do twice in his twenties.  Yet his peak is not what most stands out about Adcock -  rather, it was his steady production over almost two decades of service.  Finishing just shy of 2500 hits (good for 8th all-time, with two of the three retired players above him in the Hall already) with a .294 average, and hammering 349 career home runs, Adcock steadily accumulated his way to a place in UL history. (Doug Aiton)

AWARDS & ACCOLADES
World Series MVP (1965)
All-UL Team (1964, 1965, 1967)
1-time Batter of the Month, 6-time Player of the Week