Ox Eckhardt

Oscar George "Ox" Eckhardt (December 23, 1901 – April 22, 1951) was an American professional baseball and football player. He was an outfielder for the Boston Braves and Brooklyn Dodgers of Major League Baseball, and a fullback for the New York Giants of the National Football League.

Eckhardt holds the known all-time professional baseball record for batting average, counting both major and minor league stats with .365.

(Ty Cobb holds the major league record.366, but Cobb's minor league average of .304 lowers his total professional-ball average to .364, second behind Eckhardt. Ike Boone holds the minor league record.370, but his major league average of .321 also lowers his total professional-ball average to .364 (just behind Cobb if their averages are expanded to further digits). Eckhardt hit .192 in the major leagues, but in just 52 at bats, so his known minor league average of .366 was lowered just one point.)

On May 28, 2024, Major League Baseball announced that it had integrated Negro League statistics into its records, giving Josh Gibson the highest professional career batting average, his major league average being .373 (according to Baseball Reference) and his average outside the major leagues being .374. However, a good portion of Gibson's statistical record is missing.

Football career Eckhardt played college football as a halfback and quarterback for the Texas Longhorns. He intercepted a pass in the Longhorns 16–0 upset win over Vanderbilt in 1923.

In 1926, he played professionally as a fullback in 11 games for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL).