Joe Rossi Hall of Fame

1989 Hall of Fame Inductee Virgil Jester – Westminster Virgil Jester came out of Denver North High School and became a fixture in Denver baseball. After attending Colorado State College of Education, he played three seasons with the Denver Bears and played in the major leagues with the Braves, first in Boston and then Milwaukee. He started as an infielder but was quickly moved to the pitching mound because his fastball reached speeds into the 90 mph range. Jester signed a contract with the Boston Braves in 1947 for $2,500. As he looked back on his career a few years ago, he said he was born 55 years too soon, missing the big salaries that came to major-league baseball. Jester pitched in the old Denver Post tournament at Merchants Park on South Broadway. He once pitched against Hall of Famer Satchel Paige. In his 21-game MLB career, he posted a 3–5 record and a 3.84 career earns run average, permitting 84 hits and 27 bases on balls in 75 career innings pitched; he was credited with 25 strikeouts. Jester retired from baseball after the 1959 season. He was back with the Bears for his final year.