Fred Kipp, one of the most accomplished athletes ever to roam the halls at Iola High School, carries the distinction of being one of only three players in Major League Baseball history to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees.
And of course, the 84-year-old has plenty of stories of life on the diamond. In addition to his time in the Majors, Kipp played several years of minor league ball, and in the winter leagues in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico — all sandwiched around his time in the service.
Now, Kipp’s son, Scott, is in the midst of penning his father’s biography, “The Last Yankee Dodger.”
An engineer by trade, Scott Kipp has written a handful of books on engineering, but this is his first biographical work.
“I’m probably about 80 percent finished with my first draft,” Scott reported last week.
But with the reams of stories he’s collected, Scott Kipp also needs photos.
He’s sending out a call to any locals who may have photos of him during his ball playing days in and out of high school.
“Anything they have, we’d be interested in looking at it,” Scott said.
Those with photos are encouraged to contact Scott Kipp at [email protected].
FRED KIPP is a 1949 IHS graduate, and was an accomplished athlete in other sports as well.
He helped lead the 1949 Mustangs to a third-place finish in their class in the state basketball tournament.
Following high school, Kipp went to Kansas State to play basketball, but soon transferred to Emporia State, in part so he also could play baseball.
As a tall, lanky left-hander, Kipp even tossed a no-hitter in one of his first starts for ESU.
A Dodgers scout encouraged Kipp to attend a tryout in Florida in 1953. He agreed to a $500 signing bonus, plus a $200-a-month salary.
