Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1982
- Class:
- 1939
Dr. Marvin E. "Lefty" Garner Born Feb. 19, 1916 in Canton, Ohio…Graduated from KSU in 1939 (Pre-med major)…Received D.D.S. in 1943 from Ohio State University…Graduated from Louisville High School in 1933…Lettered in football, basketball, baseball, and track in junior and senior years…At KSU, he received letters in football and baseball as sophomore and junior…Signed professional baseball contract with Detroit Tigers (originally was not permitted by Tigers to play football as a senior)…As a pitcher with the Golden Flashes, he pitched the first no-hitter in KSU history on May 1, 1936 against Ashland College…In that game, he struck out 24 of the 29 batters he faced…On the gridiron, after earning All-Tri-County honors as a halfback in high school, he was the fourth-leading scorer in Ohio as a KSU sophomore…Played minor league baseball in Bluefield, WV, in the Mountain State League…Posted an 11-2 pitching record and batted .427 in 1973…Was assigned to Beaumont, Texas in 1938 where he posted a 6-0 pitching record and batted .323… In 1939 was playing left field in the Texas League when he crashed into a wall, injured his throwing arm and his childhood dreams of becoming a major league baseball player were crushed…Tried baseball again with Canton Terriers in 1949, but re-injured arm…During WWII, he coached the post team at Camp Pendleton, VA…Also had a stint as coach of Ohio State reserve baseball team…Member of the American Legion…Married to the former Genevieve Gettrust of Kent…Parents of two sons, John and Marvin…Garner is probably one of the most versatile athletes ever to attend Kent State…He was a “crafty” lefty who left little to be desired in any of his baseball or for that matter athletic endeavors…He was exceptionally fast and elusive and as a runner was considered by many to be the finest for his size, in the school’s history. His hitting powers went almost unnoticed because of his excellent pitching record but he was equally versatile with the bat as his credentials show.
