Len Koenecke

Koenecke was the son of a locomotive engineer and had worked as a fireman for the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad. ==Minor league career==

Koenecke made his professional debut for the Moline Plowboys in the Mississippi Valley League in 1927. In 1928 he joined Indianapolis in the American Association. ==Major League career==

After several seasons with Indianapolis, Koenecke was signed to the New York Giants in December 1931 in a deal worth $75,000. Manager John McGraw predicted he would "be a bright star in the National League". He played just the one season with the Giants. Koenecke made his debut for the Giants, going hitless against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 12, 1932 In 1933, playing for the International League Buffalo Bisons, he hit .334 and had 100 runs batted in with eight home runs. In 1934, Koenecke joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, where in his first season he hit .320 with 14 home runs, 73 RBIs and set a National League fielding record with a percentage of .994. His second season saw a decline in his onfield performance and he was cut on September 16, 1935, during the middle of a road trip after a game in Chicago. Just one day later, he would be dead. ==Death==

The Dodgers were in St. Louis preparing for a series against the Cardinals when Koenecke was informed that his season was over. Koenecke caught an American Airlines flight back to New York City via Chicago and Detroit. Now lost in Canadian airspace, Mulqueeney made an emergency landing at Long Branch Racetrack in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada where it was found that Koenecke had died of a cerebral hemorrhage. He was buried in Mount Repose Cemetery at Friendship, Wisconsin. ==In popular culture==

Koenecke's death was referenced in season 5, episode 7 of the animated TV series Archer, "Smuggler's Blues". ==See also==