Born in
Chicago, Illinois, Florence graduated from
Georgetown University, where he was a Hall of Fame selection in football, basketball and baseball. He was also a catcher inductee for football and baseball in the Loyola Academy Hall of Fame, as well as the catcher on the
Rochester Red Wings all-time roster team, which is considered one of the best in
International League history. In addition to Rochester, Florence caught in the minors for the
Baltimore Orioles,
Indianapolis Indians and
Milwaukee Brewers. In between he played one season with the
Chicago Cardinals NFL team. Afterwards, Florence worked during seven years as the
general manager for the
Birmingham Barons club of the
Southern Association. Besides, he served as the assistant general manager of the Cincinnati Reds and also was one of the main organizers of the Houston Astros franchise in 1962, remaining in the organization as their chief
scout until his retirement in 1983 at the age of 83. Florence died in 1986 in
Gainesville, Florida, aged 86. ==External links==