Billy Jurges
A slick-fielding Chicago Cubs shortstop whose resilience was famously tested when he returned to play just weeks after being shot by a former girlfriend.
1908–1997 (age 89)·American baseball player and manager·Birthday: May 9·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Billy Jurges was the steady, defensive heartbeat of the Chicago Cubs infield during their competitive run in the 1930s. A New Yorker who broke in with the Cubs in 1931, he was known less for his bat and more for his slick glovework and strong arm at shortstop, forming a formidable double-play combination with second baseman Billy Herman. His career, and life, took a bizarre turn in July 1932 when a former showgirl, Violet Popovich, shot him in a hotel room in a murder-suicide attempt. Jurges was wounded in the side and hand, while Popovich survived a self-inflicted wound. In a display of tough-guy grit emblematic of the era, Jurges missed only two weeks of play, returning to help the Cubs clinch the National League pennant. He played for the Cubs until 1938, was part of another pennant winner in 1935, and later had stints with the New York Giants and Boston Braves. After his playing days, he remained in baseball as a coach and scout, a career infielder who became part of baseball lore for the most dramatic of off-field incidents.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Billy was born in 1908, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Billy Was Born
The biggest hits of 1908
Billy's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1908Born
Ford Model T goes into production
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1913Started school
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1921Became a teenager
First commercial radio broadcasts
President: Warren G. Harding"My Man" — Fanny Brice
1924Could drive
First Winter Olympics held in Chamonix, France
President: Calvin Coolidge"It Had to Be You" — Isham Jones
1926Could vote
Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket
President: Calvin Coolidge"Baby Face" — Jan Garber
1929Turned 21
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1938Turned 30
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1948Turned 40
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1958Turned 50
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 60
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 70
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 80
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1997Died at 89
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
Key Achievements
- Was the starting shortstop for three National League champion Chicago Cubs teams (1932, 1935, 1938).
- Played in the first-ever Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 1933 as a member of the Cubs.
- Later served as a coach for the Boston Red Sox and managed the Boston Red Sox for part of the 1959 season.
Did You Know?
The 1932 shooting incident inspired the plot of the 1988 film 'The Untouchables,' in which a character based on Jurges is shot by a mobster's girlfriend.
He was known for using a very heavy, 40-ounce bat, unusual for a player who was not a power hitter.
After managing, he worked as a scout for the Red Sox for nearly two decades.
“A good glove is a shortstop's meal ticket. The bat is just dessert.”
