Biography

From the "This Great Game" card back: Fastballs? No problem. Defensive backs? No problem. A jet plane? Yikes. That was Jackie Jensen, who starred on the gridiron and the diamond, but walked away from his baseball career because of his fear of flying. Jensen was the true All-American idol: football star at USC, star in the first College World Series, and movie star good looks. The Yankees groomed him to replace DiMaggio in center field, but Jackie’s star was destined to shine outside of The Big Apple. He was a powerful hitter and run producer for the Red Sox, where he was an All-Star and Gold Glove winner. But just two seasons after winning the MVP award, he retired rather than fly on planes to play a boy’s game.

Cards Featuring This Player