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 Jackie Jensen Photo Gallery
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Here’s one Red Sox fans will remember:

Jackie Jensen Wins the 1958 MVP Award!

“I have only one life to live, and I’ll be happier when I can spend it with my family. Being away from home with a baseball team for seven months a year doesn’t represent the kind of life I want or the kind of life my wife and children want.” –Jackie Jensen, January 26, 1960, announcing his retirement.

(Featured photo above of Jackie Jenson from the Leslie Jones Boston Public Library collection)

Sixty-four years ago today, on November 19, 1958, Jackie Jensen was selected as the American League Most Valuable Player. With his selection, Jensen broke the four-year string of Yankee MVPs (Yogi Berra, 1954-’55, Mickey Mantle, 1956-’57). Maybe the writers thought it was time to “share the wealth,” as the slugging Red Sox outfielder played on a non-contender, unlike runner-up Bob Turley, who pitched for the World Champion Yankees.  Jackie hit .286 with 35 home runs, and 122 RBIs in his 1958 MVP season.

Jackie’s Fine Major League Career

The San Francisco native played 11 years in the major (1950-’61), for the Yankees (1950-’52), Senators (1952-’53), and Red Sox (1954-’59, ’61). Over his career, the speedy three-time All-Star hit .279, with 199 home runs, 929 RBIs, 810 runs, 259 doubles, 45 triples, 143 stolen bases, .369 on-base percentage, .460 slugging average, and .829 OPS. His 120 OPS+ mark places him well above the average of his major league contemporaries. 

Jackie led the league in RBIs three times, and triples and stolen bases one time each. A fine defensive right fielder with an exceptionally strong throwing arm, he won a Gold Glove Award and led the American League in assists and double plays twice each. Jackie played in one World Series game during his rookie year 1950 as a member of the World Series champion Yankees. For those who never saw him play, Baseball Reference’s Similarity Scores compares Jackie’s career stats favorably to more recent players Rich Zisk, Carl Everett, and Jayson Werth. 

A College Grid Iron Star

After serving in the Navy during World War II, he became a two-sport star athlete at the University of California. As a pitcher and outfielder, he helped California win the inaugural College World Series in 1947, defeating a Yale team featuring future President George Bush. As a football halfback, Jackie was a consensus All-American as a junior in 1948, placing fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting. He scored a touchdown in the 1949 Rose in an upset loss to Northwestern. Jensen was the first person to play in the Rose Bowl, the World Series, and the baseball All-Star Game.

Jackie’s Fear of Flying

With the expansion to the west coast in the late 1950s, his well-known fear of flying became almost unsurmountable as teams relied more and more on air travel. Therapy sessions arranged by Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey, which included hypnotherapy to overcome panic attacks at airports, were only partially successful. He returned for the 1961 season but retired for good after what he considered a sub-par year (.266, 66 RBIs). 

After his playing days, Jensen became sports director at radio station KTVN in Reno, Nevada; worked as a college football broadcaster for ABC television; and coached baseball at the University of Nevada and at the University of California, Berkeley. 

On April 17, 1956, Jensen appeared as himself in “The Jackie Jensen Story,” which aired on NBC’s Cavalcade of America series. He also appeared in four episodes of Home Run Derby. He was 2–2 in his appearances, defeating Ernie Banks and Rocky Colavito, while losing twice to Mickey Mantle. (1)

Jackie’s Personal Life

In 1949, Jackie married Zoe Ann Olsen, the silver medalist in diving at the 1948 Summer Olympics. The couple divorced in 1963, remarried in1964, and divorced again in1968. They had three children – Jon, Jan, and Jay. Jackie’s grandson Tucker Jensen pitched in two NCAA Division II Baseball Tournaments and pitched in the Toronto Blue Jays organization during 2011–2012. In February 1968, he married Katherine Cortezi. (2)

Jackie Jensen was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1983, the College Football Hall of Fame in 1984, and the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame. In 2000, The Golden Boy: A Biography of Jackie Jensen was published (3).

Jackie Jensen passed away on July 14, 1982, at age 55 following a heart attack. First wife Zoe Olsen passed away in 2017, aged 86.

Gary Livacari

Photo Credits: Featured photo above of Jackie Jenson from the Leslie Jones Boston Public Library collection. All others from Google search.

Information: (notes 1,2, and 3) – Personal information edited from the Jackie Jensen Wikipedia page.

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