Year Inducted – 2021 (deceased)

Luke Sewell (deceased) was a professional baseball player, coach, and manager.  Luke played at the University of Alabama as an infielder, and in 1921 was signed by Cleveland Indians scout Patsy Flaherty.  He played Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Cleveland Indians (1921-1932, 1939), the Washington Senators (1933-1934), the Chicago White Sox (1935-1938), and the St. Louis Browns (1942).  Sewell was regarded as one of the best defensive catchers of his era.

Sewell came from a baseball family.  Luke’s older brother, Joe Sewell, was a star shortstop for Cleveland and later a third baseman for the Yankees, set records for the fewest strikeouts by a batter, and was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977.  Younger brother Tommy Sewell played in one game and had one at-bat for the Chicago Cubs in 1927.  Luke played in the 1933 World Series (Washington Senators vs. New York Giants).

After having been signed by the Cleveland Indians in 1921, he got married and lived in Akron for the rest of his life and working in the off-season in Seville. Luke managed the St. Louis Browns from 1941 to 1946 and lost to the St. Louis Cards in the 1944 World Series.  He was named Manager of the Year in 1944.  Sewell also managed the Cincinnati Reds from 1950 to 1952 and other minor league teams in Seattle and Toronto.