Remembering Three-Sport Athlete Art Bramhall

Art Bramhall is one of the forgotten athletes of his time who played, albeit briefly, three professional sports. He ioined the NFL’s Chicago Bears out of high school in 1930 and played quarterback in the same backfleld with Red Grange and Bronko Nagurskl. His basketball career was with George Halas' Chicago Bruins of the American Basketball Association and he played baseball with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Arthur W. Bramhall was born on February 22, 1909 in Oak Park, Illinois, a suburb bordering the west side of Chicago.

Bramhall, the 13th of 15 children, was an outstanding athlete at Oak Park High School where he played baseball and basketball and especially excelled as the school’s quarterback. On October 15, 1927, he led the Oak Park football team to a 26-0 win over Moline High School and the Davenport Democrat and Leader poured praise upon the 18-year-old the following day. “Art Bramhall, Oak Park's quarterback,” wrote Jack Martens, “lived up to all advance notices, and astounded the crowd with the most brilliant exhibition of open field running ever witnessed on a high school lot. The diminutive visitor ran with the speed of a track star, averaged 60 yards with his kicks and passed with deadly accuracy. In addition to handling the team like a veteran, his all around performance was largely responsible for the outcome.”

Bramhall transferred in his senior year to Chicago’s St. Mel's, where he sparked the prep school’s basketball team to a 39-0 record in the city championships. He was also playing baseball as shortstop for the River Forest Dodgers and basketball with the Oak Park YMCA team which was runner up in the International “Y” championships during the spring of 1929.

Bramhall signed with the Chicago Bears of the National Football League in the fall of 1929 and the Chicago Bruins of the American Basketball Association in January 1930. During the summer of 1930 he also played professional baseball briefly with the Springfield Senators of the Class B Three-I League (in 15 games he batted .204).

In 1931, Bramhall started the baseball season with the Nashville Vols of the Class A Southern Association before joining the Reading Keystones of the Class AA International League. He was released by the Keystones in May.

In the spring of 1932, Bramhall was back with the Keystones. “He shows all the natural abilities of a great shortstop,” wrote sports editor Bill Reedy in the Reading Eagle on March 27, 1932, “and has . . . a wonderful throwing arm.”

However, he played just eight games before being released and joined the Logan Squares of the semi-pro Wisconsin-Illinois League. He remained with the Squares in 1933 before joining the Madison Blues of the semi-pro Central Wisconsin League in 1934.

Following an outstanding summer with the Blues, Bramhall had a tryout with the Philadelphia Phillies when they were in Chicago during August. Manager Jimmie Wilson was impressed with the young shortstop and offered him a contract for the following season.

And Bramhall wasn’t resting during the winter months. He played for the Memphis Tigers of the short-lived American Football League and put together the Chicago Circus Clowns, a travelling basketball team who would appear on the floor in the first quarter, in-clown suits with painted faces and devote the first period to entertaining the spectators with their antics.

Bramhall joined the Philadelphia Phillies for spring training in 1935 and remained with the club as players all around him were being cut. When the Phillies opened their season against the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 16, Bramhall was still with the club. He made his major league debut on April 18 as a defensive replacement for Blondy Ryan in a 10-9 win against the Dodgers. It would be another week before he would get to play again (April 26) this time as a replacement for third baseman Johnny Vergez in a 13-inning 5-5 tie against the New York Giants. Bramhall made two putouts and an assist and was hitless in his only at-bat.

Bramhall was released by the Phillies in May and rejoined the semi-pro Madison Blues for the remainder of the season. He was still with the Blues in 1937 but retired at the end of the year and began a career in broadcasting college sports with WIBA and WHBL – “The Voice of Dairyland.”

Living in Madison, Bramhall met and married Jennie Justo on June 8, 1936. Justo, who was dubbed “Queen of the Bootleggers” after having been arrested for running a speakeasy out of her home in the Greenbush neighbourhood of Madison in 1933, spent a year in a Milwaukee prison and came home to Madison to a hero’s welcome. From 1939, the couple operated Club Justo, a popular restaurant and bar on University Avenue (now Smoky’s Steakhouse).

In June 1943, 34-year-old Bramhall reported for duty with the Army Air Force as a private with the special services department of the training school at Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota. By 1944 he was a corporal and became manager for the next two seasons of the Sioux Falls baseball team with a line-up that included future major leaguers Don Bollweg and Monty Basgall.

Bramhall returned home to Madison in September 1946 and continued to work as a broadcaster while helping Jennie run Club Justo.

Art Bramhall, who was inducted in the Madison Sports Hall of Fame in 1984, passed away on September 4, 1985 in Madison. He was 76 years old and is buried at the Resurrection Catholic Cemetery in Madison.