Ken O'Dea

James Kenneth O'Dea (March 16, 1913 – December 17, 1985) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher for the Chicago Cubs (1935–38), New York Giants (1939–41), St. Louis Cardinals (1942–46), and Boston Braves.

O'Dea had the misfortune of playing on the same teams alongside some of the best catchers in the National League, which limited his playing time. Although he played most of his 12-year MLB career as a backup catcher, O'Dea was considered one of the best defensive catchers in the major leagues prior to World War II. He produced a .333 batting average while playing for the Keokuk Indians in . The Cardinals also had an All-Star catcher in Walker Cooper, so O'Dea once again found himself in a backup role. He made the most of the opportunity, posting career-highs in hits (78), runs (36), runs batted in (43), extra-base hits (24), and games played (100). He also led National League catchers in fielding percentage and in base runners caught stealing, and finished second to Phil Masi in assists. He might have been an All-Star for the first time, but the 1945 game was cancelled on April 24 due to strict war-time travel restrictions and no All-Stars were named that season. In place of the All-Star Game, seven interleague games were played. The Associated Press sportswriters named O'Dea as an All-Star, a reserve catcher for the Nation League team.

The 33-year-old O'Dea was traded to the Boston Braves during the 1946 season to make room for young catcher, Joe Garagiola. He was also valuable as a left-handed pinch hitter, leading the National League with 42 pinch-hitting appearances in .

Personal life O'Dea was married to Mary June Davis O'Dea for 47 years until her death in 1982. They had five children, Carole, James Kenneth Jr., Stephen, Daniel and Debra, the last of whom was killed at the age of 8 in a tragic accident.

In his later life, O'Dea ran the White Horse Tavern in East Avon, New York, until it was destroyed by fire in 1955.

O'Dea died of lung cancer on December 17, , at the age of 72 in his hometown of Lima.